


The Tenth Mercenary

by ImagineDreamMarvel



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Violence, Domestic Violence, F/M, Other, Slow Burn, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:02:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 56,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineDreamMarvel/pseuds/ImagineDreamMarvel
Summary: Lisa Fournier was no criminal. She was framed, she didn't know those boxes of baked goods were actually full of illegal weapons. When given an offer she can't refuse, she joins RED and becomes the tenth mercenary to fight in The Gravel Wars. Can she keep up with the demands of her new, experimental addition to the RED team? Or will she fail and be terminated?
Relationships: Sniper (Team Fortress 2)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 30





	1. An Offer She Can't Refuse

"No! Please! There has to be a mistake! I'm not a criminal!" Lisa begged. Her eyes brimmed with tears as her hands shook.

"You really expect us to believe that you didn't know you were smuggling dangerous weapons into Canada? That you thought they were just really heavy crates of cookies?" The cop interrogating her asked derisively.

"I work for my grandparents bakery! I distribute their baked goods all the time! Not once has it ever been weapons! I swear it!" Lisa swore. "Don't I get a phone call? And aren't I entitled to an attorney?!"

"Yeah, yeah." The cop nodded disinterestedly. "An attorney is on its way...who did you wanna call?"

"My grandparents. They're...they're my only family. Plus, this was their bakery. I would think they would be involved." Lisa said nodding frantically.

"Yeah, about that." The cop leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. "Would your grandparents know about this? Do they have a criminal history or anything?"

"What?! NO!" Lisa retorted her eyebrows furrowing indignantly. "They are the sweetest, kindest people in the world. They're somewhat senile and run a couple of bakeries. They are as far as criminals as you can be. Upstanding Canadian citizens."

"Yeah, still doesn't explain how these weapons got into the boxes for the bakery and into your delivery van though, huh? I'd say you're not telling me the full truth, Miss Fournier. You could make this alot easier on yourself and just be honest." The cop said writing some notes down on paper.

"I can't be more honest than I already am. I have already told you. Nothing struck me as odd. I loaded up the truck with the help of an employee. The boxes are typically heavy because of the high demand for the bakeries items and I went on my way. Stopped at customs and they checked the boxes and I was arrested without a clue of what was going on...and now I'm here." Lisa took a deep breath and hung her head and her voice trembled as she whispered. "Please...I just want to go home."

"Hey. Don't cry. We'll get this sorted out." The cop stated clearing his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the display of emotion from the girl. "Let's get you that phone call, eh?"

Lisa wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded cautiously as the cop led her out into the hallway and to the phone.

"Your grandparents, right?" He asked for confirmation.

Lisa nodded meekly, not wanting to get into more trouble than she was already.

The officer nodded at her to go ahead and she whispered a thank you before dialing the number and waiting with baited breath.

RING. RING. RING. RING.

'Please...Grammie...Grampie...pick up.' Lisa thought anxiously as her blood pounded in her ears.

RING. RING. RING. RING.

"...Lisa? How do I get this thing to work? Am I supposed to be talking right now?...well, I don't know. That's why I need your help, dear."

Lisa chewed her nails as she trembled.

'It went to voicemail. They're probably asleep. It's late, after all. They'll come for me. They wouldn't leave me...'

The tone sounded for her to record her voicemail.

"Grammie. Grampie. It's Lisa. I'm currently being detained by customs because when I was trying to get into Canada they inspected some of the bakery boxes and found...well, they found weapons. I don't know what's going on and I am so scared. I'm not sure what to do...they said they have an attorney coming to speak with me. Please...just...call back soon. Love you."

Lisa hung up the phone and blinked back the onslaught of tears.

"They didn't answer?" The officer asked.

Lisa could only manage to shake her head.

The officer checked his watch.

"Well...it is pretty late and they're older. I'm sure they'll call back soon."

Lisa was escorted back to the cold room with a surveillance mirror and she sat down at the table her body feeling numb.

"Would you like some water?" The officer asked already filling a small cup for her.

"Yes, please." Lisa managed in a small voice.

He set it down before her and she drank greedily from it. When she was done the officer took the cup from her.

"The attorney should be here any second now. Everything will be alright."

Lisa rubbed her arms in an effort to soothe her frazzled nerves.

Then there was a knock at the door.

The officer turned to see another officer peak his head in.

"Her attorney is here to see her, sir."

The officer sitting with Lisa, then turned to stand up and open the door.

A woman in a purple shirt with a matching pencil skirt was standing there. Her dark hair was in a bun and her glasses sat slightly crooked on her nose. She held a clipboard in her hand and her eyes took her in surroundings with a shrewdness that caught Lisa offguard.

"Are you the attorney, miss?" The officer asked.

"I am." Said the woman confidently. "I would like to speak to my client alone for a bit."

Officer stepped aside granting the woman permission to enter and the door closed behind her.

Lisa tucked a stray curl behind her ear and looked toward the woman with wide, green eyes.

"Can you help me? There's been a terrible mistake. I'm no criminal, I swear."

The woman didn't say anything but observed her with curious blue eyes.

"Not a criminal, huh?" The woman stated taking a seat across from Lisa and flipping through papers she had on her clipboard. "Says here you were trying to sneak advanced weaponry across the Canadian border. You know firearms are illegal in Canada, correct?"

"I'm a Canadian citizen, of course I know that...the whole world knows that." Lisa muttered.

She rarely mentioned being Canadian during her stays in New York where her grandparent's bakeries second location was. If she mentioned being Canadian, there was no end to the steady stream of insults and jokes on her behalf. Sissies...morons...syrup brains...what kind of country bans guns? She especially knew not to mention this around Australians...unless she wanted to be beat up. Australia being the worlds largest manufacturer of weaponry and technological advances hadn't taken kindly to Canada's announcement. It had nearly started World War III. Australia had declared Canada an enemy and all trade deals between the country had come to a halt, which was really awful for the Hydroelectric business...which Canada basically runs on. Thankfully, there were corporations in the United States more than willing to make a deal with them...for a price.

The woman was looking at her expectantly and Lisa realized that she hadn't heard what the woman had said.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. What did you say?" Lisa apologized.

The woman sighed and said,

"They have quite the case mounted against you already. Smuggling in dangerous weapons into Canada is a high offense...worth about forty years imprisonment."

Lisa's mouth dropped.

"W-what? No...that's impossible...I swear I didn't know! I just thought they were cookies! They can't imprison me! It's not my fault!"

"Oh but they can." The woman stated straightening her papers. "Even if you aren't the brain behind the operation, you were certainly involved. Making an example of you could deter anyone else who tries to do the same thing. Your grandparents and all of the employees working for their bakery will more than likely be under suspicion and under surveillance until the person who did this is found."

"No. Please, my grandparents are old...and they aren't all there anymore. They won't be able to take that kind of stress. I need to be there for them. I'm all they have. Please..." Lisa begged her hands curling into fists on the table as a few stray tears trickled down her cheeks.

The woman straightened her glasses and leaned forward, her folded hands resting on the table.

"I'm sorry...but the way I see it, they have enough evidence to convict you and put you away for a long time."

"Is-Is there really nothing you can do?" Lisa asked choking on a sob.

"Well..." The woman stated holding up a piece of paper and studying it.

"Well, what?" Lisa demanded.

"There may be something I can do for you." The woman said somewhat ominously as her blue eyes drilled holes into Lisa.

"What? What is it? I'll do anything."

"Anything? Do you mean that?" The woman asked curiously. "Think carefully now...don't say something you'll regret."

"I-I can't go to prison. I need to be able to take care of my grandparents." Lisa stated as strongly as she could, cursing herself for stuttering.

"I have an option available...however, you won't be able to stay with your grandparents." The woman stated slowly as if speaking to a child.

Lisa glanced at her cautiously.

"What...is this option?"

The woman glanced around her and at the two way mirror for a bit before turning back to the girl in front of her.

"My employer is currently searching for someone to fill a specific role. I have been watching you for a while...and we both agreed that you may be just the person we need."

"Your...employer? I'm sorry, I'm confused." Lisa said with an uncomfortable chuckle.

"We can pass this off to the court as a lifetime of imprisonment and community service. They would accept and you would be good to go."

"Ok, again what employer and what job? Community service and imprisonment?" Lisa demanded glancing about anxiously.

The woman smirked a bit and said,

"Well...this is totally under the table and illegal. I'm telling you this upfront." Then her face darkened. "And should you refuse the offer I am about to give you, if you tell a single soul about what was discussed...no one will ever find your body."

Lisa gulped.

"Understood."

The woman's face immediately brightened and glowed with an almost youthful sort of passion.

"Good. I knew you were smart. So, I work for a cooperation called RED, or as it is also called, Reliable Excavation and Demolition. They are a very large company currently in a war with it's competitor, BLU. Builders League United. We are currently in need of another reliable mercenary to fight for the company...and that's where you'd come in."

Lisa's mouth felt dry.

"Me? What exactly about me screams mercenary? I'm a twenty five year old Canadian woman that works at my grandparents bakery."

The woman face cocked into a half smile.

"To be honest, I asked my boss the same thing. Yet, she has insisted on you."

"Really?" Lisa asked her eyes widening.

"I wouldn't lie about this. My boss knows what she wants, when she wants it. I've learned to not question her because she's usually right. Do you know how to use a firearm?"

"Um, yes actually." Lisa admitted as she wrung her hands.

The woman quirked an eyebrow at this, her eyes flickering with amusement.

"I thought you were Canadian and those were illegal?"

"Oh, they are. My grandpa just insisted on teaching me growing up. This was before the gun laws were put in place."

"I see." The woman conceded.

"But I don't own any! And I haven't use one since I was a kid."

"Do you remember what kind it was?" The woman said writing in her notepad.

"Ummm...a pistol? I honestly don't remember anything other than that." Lisa responded with a shrug.

"That's alright, I can work with that." The woman said with a warm smile. "Any health issues? Allergies? Anything like that?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Lisa replied watching the woman write some more.

"Perfect. How about your eyesight? Hearing? Any issues?"

"No. I have 20/20 vision and my hearing is decent."

"Alright. Any special skills you'd like to tell me about?"

"Special skills? I..I'm bilingual? I speak French and English. I'm decent at baking. I can drive commercial vehicles."

"Good...good. Do you pick up things pretty quickly?" The woman said writing without looking up.

"I...suppose?"

"This job requires you to cover a wide range of tasks. From equipment maintenance to hand to hand combat...even medical support if needed. Do you think you could pick these skills up?"

"That's quite a range. Will I receive training?"

She stopped writing to glance up at her.

"Some of these professionals will be more willing to train you than others. If I had to guess, you're going to have to figure a good deal on your own and on your feet."

Lisa swallowed and tapped her leg nervously.

"It's either this or prison. Right?"

"Pretty much." The woman replied.

Lisa hung her head.

"I...I don't know. I've never had to do any of those things. I don't want to go to prison...but, even if I take this job I won't be able to be there for my Grannie and Grampie."

The woman studied Lisa a bit before her face softened sympathetically.

"I promise you, if you get this position, that your grandparents will be fine. You can send them letters and money and even occasionally visit them if you'd like."

"Really? You promise that you're not just saying that. If I take this position, I'll be covered. But they're still under suspicion for those weapons right?"

"That is unfortunately out of my hands. I can't say what will happen in that whole situation involving your grandparents and the other employees. However, if they are as sweet and old as you say, I doubt they'll be under suspicion for long. Especially, since they're Canadian."

"That makes me feel a bit better." Lisa managed running her hand through her dirty blonde curls.

The woman stayed silent a bit longer as she looked over the paper in her hands and said,

"One last thing...are you good at pretending to be things you aren't?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Lisa questioned with a confused expression.

"You are going to have to fill a wide variety of roles. Your position is...unique. One that has not previously been on this team. You will have to be a jack of all trades, master of none. Do you think you could adequately fill this role?"

"I can try. I don't really have a choice...so, yeah. I can do that. Fake it 'till you make it, right?"

The woman didn't respond but continue to jot down notes studiously.

"So...how does this all work? Do I really have to...you know...kill people?" Lisa asked trying to sneak a peek at her notes.

The woman clipped the paper into the notepad and stood up, offering a hand to Lisa.

"Congratulations, Lisa Fournier. Welcome to the RED team. You are the tenth mercenary."

Lisa tentatively shook her hand.

"Uh, thanks. Honestly, that was easier than some other interviews I've had."

The woman chuckled at that.

"Alright, follow me."

"Follow you? Don't I have to go on trial and everything?" Lisa asked curiously as she stood up and followed tentatively. "Won't the guards have an issue with this?"

The woman just smiled and opened the door looking at Lisa with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Lisa followed behind like a lost puppy. Green eyes taking in everything with wide eyes as they walked. The guards and officers seemed to pay them no mind. The woman stopped at the main office and said,

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. Here is all of Miss Fournier's belongings." An officer stated sliding all of Lisa's bagged possessions through a slot in the glass towards them.

Lisa grabbed the bag and rifled through it quickly before finding her prize and grasping it tightly, softly muttering.

"Thank God."

She looked up and the woman was already heading for the exit. Lisa bounded after her, clutching her belongings tightly to her.

The crisp night wind chilled Lisa as she walked out the doors and she shivered before reaching into the bag and shrugging on her jacket, quickly stuffing her prized possession into her breast pocket. The woman headed to a red car and looking over her shoulder to signal to the girl that she should get in.

Lisa quickly shuffled around the vehicle and jumped into the front passengers seat. The woman got into the drivers seat and started the vehicle, quickly turning on the heat.

"Whoo...I forget how cold New York is this time of year." She shivered shooting a smile to the girl sitting next to her as she buckled herself and backed out of the parking space.

The ride was silent for a bit, and they both sat enjoying the silence as they hit the freeway.

"Ummm...Miss? What do I call you?"

"You may call me Miss Pauling." She responded her eyes never leaving the road.

"Right. So...Miss Pauling...why and how did those officers just let us go back there?"

Miss Pauling smiled and Lisa watched the light from the streetlights reflect on her glasses as she replied,

"Miss Fournier, you'd be amazed what money can buy."

Lisa decided to leave it at that and turned to watch the night darkened landscape fly by as they drove.

After a while, she rubbed her eyes tiredly and asked,

"If I may, where exactly are we going, Miss Pauling?"

"Teufort, New Mexico. We are currently driving to an airport that will fly us into Tucson. From there, we will drive to our destination."

Lisa nodded sleepily and murmured,

"Ok...this all feels like a strange dream. Doesn't feel real..."

Miss Pauling didn't respond to that and soon enough the sound of soft snores filled the otherwise silent vehicle.

"I hope the Administrator made the right choice with you, Miss Fournier. The weak ones never last very long." Miss Pauling murmured to herself casting a look at the small, young woman curled up in the seat beside her.


	2. The Contract and the Ride to The Base

Lisa found herself wrapping her jacket around her waist as they stepped off the plane in the hot, arid desert of Arizona. She glanced down at her pale arms and groaned. The desert sun was not going to be kind to her poor, Canadian body.

"Here. You'll need it." Miss Pauling said handing her a bottle of sun lotion.

"Merci." Lisa responded eagerly grabbing the lotion and applying it generously to all her exposed skin.

Miss Pauling watched in poorly concealed amusement as Lisa rubbed the sunscreen into her skin. When Lisa seemed satisfied, she handed it back to Miss Pauling.

"Finished?" She asked.

"Yeah…I'll probably apply some more again later. I burn easily…I'm not used to this kind of heat…or sun…" Lisa muttered glaring up at the sky.

"Well, hopefully you'll adjust quickly." Miss Pauling replied tucking the lotion bottle into her carryon bag.

The two of them walked away from the small, private jet that had brought them here and headed towards a van marked 'RED BREAD.' It didn't have doors and looked old and rusty.

"Alright, get in. We have a long drive ahead of us." Miss Pauling called to Lisa as she got into the driver's seat.

Lisa looked at the van suspiciously.

'I've been blackmailed, kidnapped and am now willingly getting into a sketchy van. These last thirty hours could not get any better.' Lisa thought glumly as she reluctantly got into the passenger seat.

If Miss Pauling noticed her reluctance, she did not comment on it as she turned the keys in the ignition and the van shuddered to life. The ride to Teufort was…boring to say the least. Lisa's curly, blonde locks stuck to her sweaty face and neck. With an annoyed huff, she pulled the mess of curls into a messy ponytail and took in the scenery. It all looked the same. Bright desert sand reflecting the sun, along with large, brown colored rock formations that stretched far into the sky above. The occasional vulture would circle in the sky and Lisa sincerely prayed that it wasn't an omen of her future. She glanced down at her crumpled work uniform. 'AnTEAques' it read in bold on her shirt. Her skirt was wrinkled from the ride and her heels had become uncomfortable a long time ago. The sweat was also making her smell rather unpleasant and she took some pride in her appearance, after all, she was the face customers saw if her Grammie and Grampie weren't at the store locations. She handled most of the orders as well as delivery to both locations in New York City and Montreal. She felt a stab of homesickness as she realized it would be a long time before she'd see these places again…if ever.

"Miss Pauling, is there any way I could get a change of clothes before arriving at our location?" She asked sincerely hoping the answer was yes.

"Hm? Oh yes. If you want to go ahead and walk into the back of the truck, I have a new uniform for you." Miss Pauling answered gesturing to the back of the vehicle.

Lisa cautiously stood from her seat and headed to the back, the fear of falling from the moving van evident in her mind. She saw an outfit set neatly onto a box in the corner and with unsteady steps moved towards it. As she stripped, she noted that there was also a stick of deodorant and a comb. She made a mental note to thank Miss Pauling for anticipating her needs. She pulled on a red, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown pants. She then found a pair of brown, combat boots and she laced them up over the pant leg. The final item was a brown and black bullet proof vest. Lisa picked it up cautiously and let her fingers glide over the thick material and the reality of where she was going and what she was hired as began to set in. The van hit a bump in the road and Lisa yelped and steadied herself by bracing against the wall with her forearm.

"Sorry! I didn't see that pothole. Are you doing alright back there?" Miss Pauling called from the front.

"Yeah! I'm alright!" Lisa called back and then her green eyes flicked back to the jacket in her hand and she quietly murmured to herself. "I'm alright."

Having the jacket snugly fastened around her torso, she used the comb to try to get a few of the knots out of her hair before throwing it into a neater ponytail. She folded her old uniform and set it with care on the box. She hesitated with her jacket before reaching into the pocket and taking out her valuable keepsake. She rolled it around in her fingers. The cold metal soothing her sweaty palms. She sighed and held it close to her heart before tucking it into a pocket on her vest and making her way back to the front of the vehicle.

As she sat down, Miss Pauling threw her a few glances before smiling and saying,

"Hey! Now, you're looking like a real RED mercenary! I'm glad everything fits. You have no idea how hard it is to get someone's measurements from twenty yards away."

"Yeah, about that…how long have you been stalking me?" Lisa questioned with an unamused raised eyebrow as she glanced in Miss Pauling's direction.

"Not important." Miss Pauling replied waving a careless hand in Lisa's direction. "However, debriefing you on what you'll be doing is VERY important."

"So far, all I know is that this…RED company thing is hiring me to fight as a mercenary in a…Gravel war? They're fighting over gravel...because the BLU company wants this gravel too for whatever reason. Is the gravel special?" Lisa asked leaning back to look at Miss Pauling with an inquisitive look.

Miss Pauling's mouth twitched as if she was trying not to laugh when she answered,

"No. The gravel is just gravel. Don't worry. You are on the right track. Two brothers inherited land from their father, and they don't want to share or make a business deal. So, they have hired mercenaries to fight over this piece of land instead. One brother is Redmond Mann and the other is Blutarch Man. If you haven't put it together, Redmond Mann is who you work for, and Blutarch Mann is who mercenaries on the BLU team work for."

"This is just…a lot of work for gravel." Lisa muttered glancing at the bland scenery.

"It is, but when you're rich, you can do what you want. They pay handsomely and you will be well compensated for your time working for them." Miss Pauling added with a soft hum.

"As a mercenary, what will my job entail?"

"Well, I briefly explained it back when you were detained. You will have a variety of jobs. The other mercenaries' tasks are much more…specific to their role. For example, we have an Engineer. His job is to build machinery and weapons for the RED team and keep our machinery in the best shape possible. Then there's a medic…he heals wounds and injuries obtained on the battlefield. Speaking of which, can you sign this document? It's your contract." Miss Pauling asked handing Lisa another document.

Lisa's brows furrowed as she read it.

"Reliable Excavation and Demolition (RED) co. does not hereby take any responsibility or legal liability for any and all injuries obtained on the field while working as a hired mercenary. This includes lacerations, decapitations, limb amputations, strangulations, spontaneous or any other kind of combustion…"

Lisa's eyes widened and she felt sweat trickle down her forehead as her hands shook slightly.

"I hereby give my permission to MEDIC to perform any and all body modifications in order to ensure the best quality of performance in my work as a mercenary…"

Her eyes then shot to the bottom and saw the line where she was supposed to sign her name.

"Miss Pauling…am I going to die?" She asked in a small voice.

Miss Pauling threw her a look.

"Well, of course you're going to die. They all do."

Lisa's vision swam and her heart beat hard in her ears. As if realizing her mistake, Miss Pauling backpaddled quickly,

"Oh…no, no! I didn't mean it quite like that…I mean, kind of…but…It's nothing to worry about! You'll be alright! Listen!"

Lisa took a deep breath and turned towards Miss Pauling, having half a mind to throw herself out of the moving van right then and there before this crazy lady could take her to her ultimate demise.

"The Medic performs a surgery on every new mercenary. It's a heart replacement. You need it to-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Miss Pauling shrieked using one hand to grab the back of Lisa's shirt and the other to steady the wheel as Lisa attempted to throw herself from the van.

"A HEART REPLACEMENT?! WHAT PART OF THAT IS OK?! YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY IF YOU THINK I'LL-" Lisa shouted struggling against Miss Pauling, wanting to take her chances in the open desert rather than face her future with a different heart as a mercenary.

"Just-LISTEN ALRIGHT?!" Miss Pauling yelled back finally pulling most of Lisa back into the van.

Lisa sat on the edge of her seat ready to leap again should she feel the need to as Miss Pauling sighed and smoothed back her mussed hair and straightened her glasses.

"As I was saying." She said casting an annoyed glance in Lisa's direction. "The heart surgery is crucial. You'll need it. There's this thing that both our Medic and Engineer created. They call it the Respawn Machine. With the heart replacement, the Medic will attach a mechanism to the heart that will allow you to come back through the machine should you die in battle. It takes about eight minutes to respawn, but you come back whole…no physical wounds. Good as new. It also allows Medic to Ubercharge you on the field…it makes you bullet proof. It's one of his finer achievements and he will talk about if for hours if you bring it up to him."

"You guys…figured out how to bring people back from the dead?" Lisa murmured in horrified awe.

"Sort of? I am not completely sure how it works, and I am not sure I really want to know. But it's the Engineer and Medic's brainchild. It has saved RED millions and millions of dollars. They don't have to hire different mercenaries until they retire." Miss Pauling responded.

"Why isn't this technology more public? We could save so many lives on the battlefield. The military could really benefit from something like that." Lisa stated with a slight bit of desperation in her voice.

"Oh, there's also a clause in that contract somewhere about secrecy and such. You aren't allowed to tell anyone about this technology." Miss Pauling stated blithely.

"You just told me…we've created technology that can beat death…and a company is using it to revive mercenaries that are fighting over…gravel?" Lisa asked her voice quiet with barely suppressed outrage.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Miss Pauling countered with a colder edge to her voice. "Everything you see and hear working for this company is secret. I believe I warned you back at the border, but I will warn you again. If anything, and I mean ANYTHING, regarding your work here and what you see gets out to your family or friends, you will disappear and so will they. I will personally see to it."

Lisa's pink cupids bow lips squeezed firmly together and she turned away with gritted teeth.

"Understood?" Miss Pauling questioned authoritatively.

"Oui. You've made yourself very clear, Madame." Lisa responded her Quebecois accent slipping out with a sharp bite to her words as she scribbled her name at the bottom of the contract.

She handed the contract back to Miss Pauling and turned back to watch the scenery. Her heart ached thinking about the moral ramifications to what she now knows. How many soldiers die on the battlefield…how many families have suffered from their loss…how her own has suffered…

Her heart clenched as she shut her eyes and her hand rested over her keepsake in her vest pocket.

"Miss Fournier…I apologize." Miss Pauling stated her voice softer than before.

Lisa didn't turn towards her but listened resignedly.

"I forgot that you've suffered…loss. I was insensitive in how I handled it. For that I apologize. However, you must know the gravity of your position. The secrecy you will be exposed to with this job must remain confidential at all costs."

"How do you know so much about me? How do you know about..."

"I know just about everything there is to know about you, Miss Fournier. Please, don't take too much offense. I understand that it's an invasion of privacy but I'm just doing my job." Miss Pauling explained.

"I understand." Lisa murmured her hands fussing over the cool metal and feeling herself calm over the familiar feeling. "I accept your apology…and you don't have to worry about me. I will keep everything I see quiet."

"Thank you." Miss Pauling reciprocated as she tucked the signed contract into the bag beside her seat.

After remaining quiet for some time, Lisa finally broke it.

"Who are my coworkers?"

"There are nine mercenaries besides you. You will refer to them by their job title as their names are kept confidential for their own protection. There is Engineer. I told you a little about him earlier. He keeps everything running smoothly. Next there's Demoman. He's Scottish and has one eye. He specializes in explosives and is typically drunk. I don't think I've ever seen him sober. Hmmm…I think Scout's around your age. Maybe a year older? He's from Boston and is very…loud, I guess is the word? You'll know him when you see him. He's the fastest on the team and he hits people with a metal bat. Medic, we've briefly discussed him as well. He's German, and he really loves his job. Very enthusiastic. He's…eccentric to say the least. Pyro is…Pyro. He lights stuff on fire. The only one he really hangs out with is Engineer. There's Spy, he's French. Super mysterious. Well dressed. Always smoking. He's going to probably be the most insistent one on figuring out who you are, where you're from and why you're here. Don't feel like you have to tell him. Everyone's history is confidential…old habits die hard, I guess. He makes it his job to know everything about everyone. He's intimidating, but I believe in you. Heavy is our Heavy Weapons Expert. He's Russian and has a giant machine gun named Sasha. If you value your life, you will never, and I mean NEVER, touch his gun. Don't even breathe in its direction. That thing is like his child. He loves it. Soldier is a loose cannon. He loves America…LOVES America. He has a rocket launcher. He's Xenophobic to say the least. So be careful what you say around him and he has a pile of heads on a fence post that he talks to occasionally. Just fair warning in case he wants you to meet them. Lastly, there's Sniper. As you may have guessed he's the guy who shoots the enemy from far away. He keeps to himself mostly. He's a man of few words. He takes a lot of pride in his job."

"…and where's Sniper from?" Lisa asked numbly trying to process all the information she just heard.

"Oh, he's Australian." Miss Pauling replied.

"Great." Lisa groaned. "Most of these people are going to HATE the fact that I'm Canadian."

"Yeah, personally I'd just try to avoid mentioning that fact if you can. I'm not sure how many secrets you're going to be able to keep from Spy. But for everyone else, if they insist just say you're from the north. You've been to New York enough that you could fake it." Miss Pauling advised.

"Got it. I'm supposing that I should probably cut back on the French too?"

"I'd advise it. Spy is from France and I don't speak French, but from what I understand Quebecois speak French differently. Like American English vs. British English." Miss Pauling replied glancing towards Lisa.

"I wouldn't go quite that far, but there are some definite differences. It really only seems to come out with my temper." Lisa replied gazing at the open road. "My grandma is from Montreal. She's who I learned to speak it from…that and just picking it up from other French speakers around me. My Grandfather is from New York. Guess I'll just say I'm from there too."

Miss Pauling nodded.

"I understand. I hope for your sake that it doesn't slip out. Spy will never let you rest if he finds out you speak French fluently. I mentioned before that Solider is Xenophobic so definitely try to keep the Canadian thing under wraps."

"And…the Australian?" Lisa asked.

"Sniper? He's usually by himself. He shouldn't be an issue. Not super gung-ho over weapons, though he does love his sniper rifle. He's different than most Australians I've met. Not super beefy or aggressive. Quiet and reserved."

"Alright…I'll keep these things in mind." Lisa said with a nod as she fiddled with a clasp on her vest.

"Good. Because you're about to meet them." Miss Pauling said casually.

"What do you mean? There's nothing here." Lisa wondered aloud looking around at the nothingness around her before shrieking as Miss Pauling took a sharp turn across a fake cardboard cactus and through a painted sheet.

Ahead of them was a series of metal and wood buildings. RED was painted on the side of every one of them.

"Are you kidding me? All of this is hidden by a sheet and a fake cactus?" Lisa demanded.

"Hey, it works. You didn't see it, did you?" Miss Pauling pointed out.

"Touche." Lisa acquiesced.

Miss Pauling parked the van and then turned to Lisa with a half grin.

"Ready to meet the team?"


	3. Introductions

Lisa swallowed hard as she observed the buildings around her. Her heart beat steadily like a dull drum in her chest and her hands trembled slightly before she clenched them willing herself to get a grip.

She glanced at Miss Pauling who was calmly arranging her papers before clipping them together and placing them in a folder in her bag.

"It'd probably be best for me to handle the introductions." Miss Pauling said easily and Lisa gave a nod.

"Before we go in…you mentioned that all the mercs are called by their job description. Well, what's mine? You've said I'll be a jack of all trades, but you never actually gave me a name." Lisa pointed out confusedly. "That's kind of important, wouldn't you say?"

Miss Pauling slapped her hand to her forehead.

"Ugh! I knew I was forgetting something crucial. You'll be referred to as- "

"Miss Pauling! What brings you out here? I didn't know you'd be stoppin' by today!" A voice rang out.

The two of them turned to see an energetic, young man walking quickly towards them. He wore a red, T-shirt and faded baseball style pants with tall white socks and black running shoes. His hands were wrapped in white bandages. A necklace with dog tags jingled softly in time with his brisk pace. A cocky half grin lit up his face and his blue eyes glanced past Miss Pauling to meet Lisa's green ones with a touch of mischief.

"Scout." Miss Pauling greeted cordially. "I'm actually here to introduce the new member of the red team. This is…"

"Woah! Wait…You?" Scout asked pointing at Lisa incredulously. "But you're so…small. You look like a strong breeze could blow ya over. No offense…"

"Scout that's-" Miss Pauling started.

"No, it's alright. I agree. I mean…I am small. I'd probably say the same thing." Lisa admitted with a shrug.

"See, Miss Pauling? No harm done." Scout said with a wink and a smile thrown in Lisa's direction.

Lisa tightened her ponytail as Scout proceeded to casually ask Miss Pauling about her day and how she's been. She stretched her arms over her head and exited the van as Miss Pauling did the same; with Scout talking her ear off the entire time.

Lisa followed behind the pair quietly as she took in everything with wide, curious eyes. They entered a garage like area where another van was parked. Machinery of every sort lay in the rafters and random bolts and nails were lying haphazardly on the ground. In the middle of the room lay a strange metal contraption. It let out the occasionally hum and whir. Lisa was tempted to go closer to take a look but Scout and Miss Pauling were already entering a door into the building. Lisa picked up the pace to keep up just behind them, staying just as quiet as before.

Lost in her own thoughts she was brought back to reality when Scout glanced over his shoulder and asked,

"'Ey! You good back there?"

"Hm? Yeah." Lisa responded her eyes pulling away from her surroundings and to the man gazing back at her with a curious expression.

"Hm. Alright. You're just so quiet. Forgot you were there for a minute." Scout replied with a shrug of his shoulders and going right back to speaking to Miss Pauling.

Lisa bit her lip in annoyance at the young man but was otherwise silent. Silence kept her safe. The quieter she was, the less information she would give about herself. She forced her hands to remain at her sides as she walked and tried to keep her back straight. All she wanted to do was rub her arms in a self-soothing motion and cry to be fully honest. However, her grandfather's voice rang through her head.

'Back straight. Chin up. First impressions matter. People make their first assumptions of you based on your body language. You're small, Lisa. You always will be. Let them know that it won't stop you from defending yourself.'

"Is everyone in here, Scout?" Miss Pauling asked the young man pulling Lisa once again from her reverie.

"Yeah, just about anyway. No mission today, so everybody's been drinking and playing cards. Except for Medic. He's in the lab. I have no idea about Spy or Pyro though." Scout answered.

"Well, best get as many as we can in one go, right?" Miss Pauling asked rhetorically with a smile.

Before Lisa could interject, Miss Pauling opened the doors and they were ushered into a dimly lit room. From over Miss Pauling, Lisa could make out several forms hunched over a table.

"Stop tryna' cheat off ma cards ye walloper." A Scottish voice grumbled lowly.

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF CHEATING! THAT IS UN-AMERICAN!" A loud voice boomed.

"Guys…" Miss Pauling tried to interject.

"What's 'Un-American'? Cheatin' or me accusin' ye of cheatin'?" The Scottish voice smarted back.

"BOTH! THE FACT THAT YOU EVEN INSINUATED THAT I WOULD DO SUCH A THING IS ABSOLUTELY…"

"All I'm sayin' is that it's 'ighly suspicious that ye keep knowing what I'm about to lay down before I lay it…" The Scottish man's voice trailed off in a taunting manner.

"Hello?! Guys…" Miss Pauling tried again.

"YOU'RE JUST UPSET THAT I HAVE BESTED YOU IN CARDS YET AGAIN BECAUSE I AM CLEARLY BETTER!"

"Come on now, fellas. There's no need to fight over this." A southern male's voice chimed in trying in vain to diffuse the situation.

"That…or ye're cheatin'." The voice answered smugly ignoring the southerner's sensibility.

There was a crash as the table was flipped and a voice cried out,

"MY DIGNITY HAS BEEN INSULTED; I WILL SETTLE THIS IN THE GOOD OL' AMERICAN WAY…WITH MY FISTS!"

"BRING IT ON YE LAVVY HEID! I'LL BEAT YE SO 'ARD YOU'LL FACE WILL BECOME THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE!"

"GENTLEMEN!" Miss Pauling yelled interrupting them as Scout gave a piercing dog whistle. This, finally gaining the attention of the men in the room.

"Miss Pauling. What could possibly be so important that you would interrupt a man's fist fight for his honor?!" The louder American male's voice rang out in a demanding fashion.

"The two of you may beat each other into pulps after I say what I need to say." She replied with an air of authority.

"Well, spit it out, lass." The Scottish voice responded in irritation.

"As you may know, the Administrator has decided to add another member to the team here." Miss Pauling started.

This received a few noises of agreement from the other men in the room.

"The Administrator has chosen them herself and I expect you all to respect her decision and do your best to get them acquainted with the various tasks that they will have."

The men muttered in agreement though there was a tense feeling of suspicion as well as curiosity in the air.

Lisa rubbed her arm self consciously as her heart raced. She was fighting the urge to bolt from the room…though she knew deep down she wouldn't get far. Her eyes glanced longingly towards the door behind her but was quickly brought to face forward again as Miss Pauling said,

"Well, then. Everyone, meet Backup…the tenth member of your team."

With that she and Scout stepped aside, exposing her to the critical eyes of everyone in the room. The faces she saw were a mix of shock and disbelief and amusement as they saw her for the first time.

Oh, she should probably speak.

"Um…hey. Nice to meet you all."

'You absolute imbecile. Um and then hey? Might as well just nail a sign to your chest that says 'HEY! I'M SMALL AND WEAK! EVERYONE, MURDER ME!' Lisa's mind berated her as she nervously gaged the room around her.

A smaller man stood up. He was a few inches taller than Lisa. He wore a hard hat and goggles and shot her a friendly smile before walking over and offering a gloved hand for her to shake and saying,

"Nice to meet you too, darlin'. I'm the Engineer, though most people call me Engie."

"Pleased to meet you, Engie." Lisa replied returning the handshake. She could almost see her Grandmother's pleased expression at her sure display of manners and her confidence rose a small fraction at the interaction with the kind man.

Engie moved aside for others to introduce themselves and the next to come forward was the largest man Lisa had ever seen. He walked towards her and Lisa had to fight every inclination to step away from him or lean back from his towering frame.

He sized her up and Lisa fought every instinct in her body telling…no, screaming at her to run.

"Hmmm." The man hummed thoughtfully looking her over. "You are very leetle. Could crush you in one hand."

"Ummm yeah. That's a fair assessment." Lisa muttered back looking back up at him. "But, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be crushed…please."

"Girl reminds Heavy of leetle mouse." Heavy continued turning his gaze to meet her eyes and asked lowly. "Tell me leetle mouse…how can you fight against big men on battlefield?"

"Very carefully?" Lisa replied back with a wince cursing her big, sarcastic mouth.

To her relief, the large man's mouth twitched in amusement as he said,

"Leetle mouse is clever."

Then his expression fell back into a more neutral expression as his gaze roved over her once more.

"Let us hope it is enough."

With that, the large man roughly patted her shoulder and left the room.

Lisa watched him leave, heart pounding and adrenaline rushing at his ominous words.

She turned back to the group and said,

"Anyone else have an ominous and terrifying introduction prepared?"

"Bonjour." A voice said as a person materialized beside her.

"CRISS!" Lisa yelped without thinking as she jumped back from the man who had materialized in front of her.

She could see Miss Pauling from the corner of her eyes tense slightly as Lisa realized she had just cursed in French.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.'

The only sign that Spy may have caught her slip was the slight uplifting of one brow under his baklava.

"Jumpy, are we?" He asked in poorly concealed amusement.

"Only when invisible people decide to introduce themselves." Lisa shot back, her green eyes glaring unamused.

"I think you will find¸ it is much more terrifying when the invisible people do not introduce themselves, mademoiselle." The man stated with a self-assured smirk. "As you may have guessed if you have been debriefed at all, I am Spy."

"It's…nice to meet you, Spy." Lisa replied hesitantly.

The Spy eyed her critically.

"Hmmm…we shall see."

Lisa didn't know how to respond to that as Spy continued and began to circle her.

"Tell me. What is your weapon of choice?"

"Ummm…a pistol, I guess? I'm not sure why this is any of your…"

"Do you have a preferred fighting style?" Spy continued with his interrogation.

Lisa didn't like the way Spy was circling her. It reminded her of the vultures she had seen on her drive here in the desert. Just watching…waiting…for one moment of weakness and then death.

"That's confidential." She responded raising her chin defiantly.

The Spy stopped in front of her, his eyes dancing in amusement.

"Is it? Or are you as frail as Heavy said? What were the words he used…little mouse?"

She couldn't stop her eyes from flashing in shock at his perception…as well as his audacity. She knew he had caught on to her discomfort when he tilted his head and his smirk grew. He opened his mouth to continue questioning.

"Spy. Enough. Her past is none of your business." Miss Pauling intervened, and Lisa had to keep her shoulders from sagging in relief.

"Of course," Spy agreed taking a drag from his cigarette. "However…"

Lisa tensed at those words as her attention was brought back to the man studying her.

"It is my experience that little girls do not survive very long on battlefields. If mademoiselle is not being truthful about her skills…well…" His gaze turned back to meet hers and Lisa fought a shudder. "I doubt she will be here for very long."

With that, Spy passed her and left the room. Lisa's body felt cold and numb as she tightened her jaw and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Hey, don't pay attention to him. Spy's a dick. Alright?" Scout said to her throwing the direction Spy went a dirty look.

"Eh. It's alright." Lisa said trying to ignore the acute discomfort that had settled heavily in her chest. Though she was very appreciative of Scout's support. "I am a small woman joining a team of experienced male mercenaries…it's expected."

"It still wasn't right of 'im, lass. In my experience, a woman is jus' as terrifyin' as any man on the field of battle. He should meet me mum. She woulda broken 'is legs o'er a remark like that." A Scottish voice piped up. A large, black man walked up to her. He was wearing an eye patch and he held a bottle of beer in one hand. He threw her a toothy grin and thrust out the other hand to her.

"I'm Demo-man. Most of the lads 'ere jus' call me Demo."

Lisa managed a smile and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Demo. I'm…I'm Backup."

"Look forward to workin' with ye lass." He said throwing her a one-eyed wink before heading to the fridge in the corner of the room, presumably for more beer.

"I AGREE WITH THE SPY AND HEAVY!" A thunderous voice rang out.

Lisa turned to see a strong man with a helmet covering most of his head making his way towards her and the next thing she knew, a finger was pointed in her face.

"THE BATTLEFIELD IS NO PLACE FOR A SOFT CUPCAKE LIKE YOU! I'D BETTER SEE YOU TRAINING FOR AT LEAST TWENTY-SEVEN HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY!"

Lisa barely had time to process what he was saying before he roughly grabbed her arm and shook it experimentally.

"LOOK AT THIS! FLIMSY NOODLE ARMS. A DISGRACEFUL MOCKERY OF AMERICAN PHYSIQUE…UNLESS…" The man quickly turned a critical eye towards her and got directly in her face. "UNLESS YOU'RE NOT AMERICAN. YES! THAT'D EXPLAIN IT ALL! WHERE'D YOU COME FROM YOU COMMIE?!"

"Soldier! Let go of Backup!" Miss Pauling directed sternly.

Soldier reluctantly let go of Lisa before looking her directly in the eyes.

"I don't know where you came from…but I doubt it's America. AND I'LL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT…"

With that Soldier left the room in a fast march.

"He's certainly…patriotic…" Lisa offered to the people in the room.

"Yeah, I did try to warn you." Miss Pauling offered.

Lisa nodded tiredly before looking at the last person in the room. The man was still sitting in his seat a wide brimmed hat lay tilted over his face and his eyes were hidden behind aviator glasses. He quietly sat up, pushing his chair back, and made his way over to her. Miss Pauling's description of him was accurate. This man was tall…almost lanky. He was muscular though, Lisa noted as he came closer…not overly so as compared to his Australian counterparts.

"I'm Sniper." He said in a deep gravelly voice, simply reaching his hand out to shake hers.

She reciprocated.

"Nice to meet you."

"Eh." He chuffed as his grip tightening on her hand almost painfully.

Lisa winced and tried to slip her hand from her grasp, but he held tight.

"Your hands are soft."

"Ew, man. That's a creepy thing to say…especially to a girl." Scout stated eyes flicking back and forth between the two, watching the exchange with obvious discomfort.

Sniper's eyes met hers behind the aviators and Lisa couldn't look away. They were a cold blue. They reminded her of a clear sky on a cold day. He eyed her like a wolf does a lamb. Lisa had never felt more exposed…not even the Spy had made her feel so vulnerable.

"Experienced assassins don't have soft hands." Sniper stated releasing her hand from his grip.

Lisa rubbed her hand trying to regain some feeling before turning fearfully back to him.

"Let's hope you're a quick study." He growled as he left the room.

The room was quiet for a bit, aside from Demo popping the cap from a cold beer and taking a few swallows.

"Well…" Miss Pauling said clapping her hands together. "That's most of the team, it honestly went better than I was expecting."

Lisa turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"This was better?"

"Oh yeah. It could've gone way worse." She said cheerfully.

Lisa rubbed her temples wearily.

"I should probably escort you to the Medic. He'll be wanting to get your heart replaced ASAP…assuming all the papers are in order Miss Pauling?" The Engineer said wiping some sweat off his forehead from under his hard hat.

"Yep! Everything's in order!" Miss Pauling said quickly browsing through her folder.

"Alright, darlin', I'll escort you there if you'd like me to." Engie offered kindly.

"Oh…yes, please. I'd really appreciate that." Lisa said gratefully.

"Alright. Follow me." Engie said with a smile as he headed out the double doors.

Lisa threw Miss Pauling one last look while Miss Pauling just smiled encouragingly. As she left, she could hear Scout saying.

"I hate to say it…but the poor kid is in for a rough time here."

Scout's parting words echoed in her ears as she and Engie walked through the winding hallways of the base.

"Hey, don't think too hard on what happened back there." Engie said interrupting her thoughts. "I don't know why you're here and I don't need to. If you ever need some help, I'll do my best to assist you."

"Thanks…I really appreciate that." Lisa murmured eyes downcast, rubbing her arm. "I honestly feel like a fish out of water."

Engie hummed in reply and then eyed her before asking.

"You really are brand new to this huh?"

Lisa sighed.

"Yeah…I'm pretty new you could say. The…Administrator, I think she's called, apparently handpicked me for this role."

"Well, if that's true, then I have no qualms about you being here. She's usually right." Engie said simply as they turned down a flight of stares to the lower levels of the building.

Based on the cold draft, Lisa believed them to be underground. The floor was red and grey mixed together. That was when, to her horror, she realized that it was blood stained pavement.

"Alright, we're here." Engie stated as they stopped before a pair of swinging double doors.

"Medic!" Engie called.

"Ja?" Came a male voice from inside.

"The new member of our team is here…they need a heart transplant ASAP." Engie stated before smiling at her and saying, "Good luck."

With that Engie turned and walked away, leaving Lisa alone.

Lisa jumped as the doors swung open to reveal a man in a bloodstained lab-coat. He wore circular glasses and he had salt and pepper hair. His blue eyes landed on her and after a moment of confusion, his eyes lit up like a child on Christmas Day.

"Are you the new recruit?" He asked in barely concealed excitement.

"Um, yes, sir. I'm Backup. It's nice to meet you." Lisa stated wide eyed as she took in the state of the small clinic. There was a metal gurney in the middle of the room, lit up by a single light and there was blood EVERYWHERE.

"Come in! Come! Come!" The Medic stated excitedly ushering her in.

Lisa tried to unwind her tense shoulders but found she couldn't as she was quickly ushered into the metal gurney and her eyes blinded by the light right above her head.

"A woman…an interesting choice for the team. An exciting one, none the less! I've never performed the heart surgery on a woman before!" The Medic chattered excitedly as he began to fetch a variety of sharp instruments.

"Tell me, fraulein." Medic stated grabbing Lisa's wrist and checking the pulse without warning. "Do you have any medical conditions I should be aware of?"

"Not that I'm aware of." She stuttered out with frightened eyes as the Medic released her wrist and flitted to and fro in unrestrained excitement.

"Good! Good!" The Medic stated before lowering the gurney so that Lisa fell onto her back with a soft 'oof!".

"If you would like to remove your vest and shirt, I would suggest doing so." The Medic stated casually facing the other way.

Lisa blanched as she realized that Medic would see her chest and as she removed the vest she cautiously asked,

"May I get…a gown or something?"

"Well, fraulein, I understand your apprehension. But let me assure you, that I am a doctor. I will not take advantage of you. I am here to assist you." He stated with a smile that was supposed to be reassuring, but the way the light of the room reflected off his glasses, it only made him look sadistic.

Lisa carefully removed her shirt and folded it and set it on the small table next to the gurney. She shuddered as her bare skin lay on the cold metal beneath her and she fought the urge to cover herself with her arms.

The Medic then walked over to her and began placing lines on her chest with a marker.

"I am marking where the incision should happen for surgery. Then I will apply the local anesthetic…you won't feel a thing I assure you."

"Wait…" Lisa asked panicked. "You're not going to put me to sleep first?!"

"Would you prefer that?" The Medic asked curiously halting his assembly of a rather large and intimidating needle.

"Yes, please." Lisa stated trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"Let me find the anesthetic…ah, here it is!" Medic stated pulling a long, metal bat from a shelf.

Lisa yelped and began to try to scramble off the gurney but was quickly halted by a strong hand grasping her upper arm.

"Now, stay still, Fraulein. It'll only be a moment." The Medic stated trying to hold her still in one hand while balancing the bat in the other.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU HAD ANESTHETIC?!" She shrieked struggling against the hand grasping her arm.

"Well, chemical anesthetic is very expensive, and I can put my medical budget to far better use. Besides, this works just fine. I usually succeed on putting the patient under in one swing…very rarely does it require more." The Medic stated matter of fact as he rolled the metal bat in his gloved hand.

"I'm good. I'm good. Just apply the local anesthetic." Lisa replied shaking as she eyed the bat with apprehension.

"Are you sure? You will be awake during the surgery." The Medic warned though his eyes glimmered with interest.

"Yes…please…let's just get it over with." Lisa stated closing her eyes tightly to fight back tears.

"Alright. It's your choice." Medic shrugged carelessly throwing the bat over his shoulder. It landed with a loud clatter on the floor and Medic began to whistle happily to himself as he prepared to inject the surgical site.

Lisa felt tears roll over onto her cheeks as fear clutched her heart in a vice.

'What had she done to deserve this? All she wanted was to take care of her grandparents and run their bakeries…continue their legacy. What sin had she committed against God to put her here? Are her grandparents alright? They're probably worried sick…what if she never sees them again?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft 'coo' and she opened her eyes to meet two black beady eyes staring down at her. A dove with bloody feathers tilted its head curiously at her from it's perch on the gurney just above her.

"Hello." She said dumbly at the bird staring at her.

"What?" The Medic questioned before turning and seeing what she was looking at. "Oh, that is Archimedes. He is fascinated by surgery almost as much as me!"

Medic then began to slice open her chest and Lisa felt like vomiting. It didn't hurt, but the sound of tearing flesh and the smell of fresh blood wafted to her nose nearly making her gag. The feeling was worse. It was numb, but she could still feel the layers of skin being stripped away leaving her bare.

She kept her eyes focused on the beady black eyes of the curious dove above watching every move the Medic made with keen interest.

"He likes to nest in freshly opened body cavities for some reason. I think he likes the warmth. I'll keep him from doing that though…they're filthy places to nest and no good for his health." Medic said conversationally.

"Wouldn't want that." Lisa croaked out sarcastically.

"Here, I know a way to relax you. How about a story?" Medic asked his eyes alight with glee as he used a small hammer to crack open her breastbone with a sickening crack.

"Sure, why not?" Lisa murmured closing her eyes and focusing on keeping bile from coming up her throat.

"A long while ago, in Germany, there was this doctor, ja?" The Medic began as he continued working methodically on her chest. "He was well known for being a…dare I say it…miracle worker in this area of his country. People came from far and wide to see him and they would leave cured. No matter the ailment, he always seemed to find a solution."

Lisa listened idly her eyes shut as the Medic's voice continued.

"Some said that this man possessed supernatural powers to heal. Some say a gift from God and the others say he made a deal with the devil himself. Whatever the reason, this man was extraordinarily gifted with medicine. One day, a man walks into the doctor's office. Now, this man complained of every pain imaginable. He said his very bones ached. The doctor was puzzled as he could not find a source of the pain and began to think it was psychosomatic."

Medic paused for a bit as if to see if she was listening, so Lisa asked,

"Was it?"

The Medic laughed,

"To everyone it would seem so. This man was a well-known hypochondriac based on his previous medical records and off of other doctors and nurses who had treated him. Now, the man knew this. He knew it was psychosomatic. However, he had heard of the near God-like powers that this doctor possessed and hoped that he could by some miracle heal him."

"I thought hypochondriacs made up their pain. I didn't know they actually experience it." Lisa admitted becoming more invested in the story than she wanted to admit.

"It is a great mystery of the medical world. Very few truly understand it, but yes. They do experience their pain…there just is no apparent cause for it like an injury. It's because of their brains." Medic informed. "So anyways, the man is pleading with the doctor to help him and the doctor is in a bit of a predicament. If he cannot cure this man, his reputation is ruined. He will be seen as a fraud and he would no longer be the greatest doctor in the world. He concocts a plan. He decides to perform surgery on the patient to fix the problem."

The Medic set down the tool he was using in favor of another and continued.

"The biggest complaint the patient had were his bones. So…the doctor removed them."

Lisa's eyes opened in confusion and she blinked a few times before refusing to look down at her chest and closing them again.

"So…the man was experiencing pain in like…his hands? So, the doctor removed some of the bones?"

The Medic cackled.

"Ach. No, fraulein. The Doctor removed all of his bones. The whole skeleton in fact!"

Medic chose that moment to remove some of the bone fragments from Lisa's chest cavity and her stomach heaved uncertainly.

"So, the patient wakes up and he says I feel so much better! And walks away content. The doctor speaks of how he cured his patient to no one and continues his practices. However, other doctors were curious as to how he managed such a feat and convinced the patient to have a series of x-rays done. The patient agreed to undergo extensive research via X-rays and he fell asleep during their multiple tests. When the patient woke up, he realized his skeleton was missing and the doctor who did it was never heard from again!"

The Medic laughed heartily at the ending and Lisa managed a small chuckle at the sheer idiocy of it all. Imagine…removing an entire person's skeleton and them never noticing…it's not even physically possible…

"And, that's the story of how I lost my medical license." The Medic stated brightly.

Lisa's eyes flew open and she looked at the medic in horror.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, do not worry. It's just a license and the man was no longer in pain, ja?" The Medic said waving a bloodied hand carelessly in her direction.

He then pulled her heart from her chest and said,

"This is your heart! Isn't it extraordinary?"

With that Lisa promptly blacked out.

Author's note: Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story so far! I recently got into the TF2 comics and I am in love with them. The characters, the story…yes. Let me know what you think! I am excited to continue!


	4. Team Bonding or Whateve'

(Flashback)

Three Months Ago…

"Gentlemen, you may be curious as to why I've called you all together today." Miss Pauling stated looking at the group seated in the recreational room staring back at her expectantly.

"It has come to our attention that you all have not been…as successful as you had been previously on your missions. BLU has been winning consistently…the last five matches have been dominated by them. Anyone know why?"

There were some murmurs and a couple of them rubbed their necks in embarrassment.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say, we genuinely have no freakin' clue what we're doin' wrong." Scout piped up with a raised hand. "It's like…they became suddenly…betta outta nowhere. We aren't losing our touch are we?! I've even been goin' on extra runs and stuff to stay in shape…heck, I haven't had a bucket of fried chicken in WEEKS!"

"I don't think it's us. The BLU team got an edge…what exactly? I'm not sure." Engie piped up with a confused look on his face.

"Well, I do have an answer for you and a possible solution." Miss Pauling chimed in.

Everyone turned their gaze to her, eager to have answers.

"As you are very aware, every team is balanced. A Spy for a Spy…an Engineer for an Engineer. I know for a fact that RED's Engineer and Medic are always looking for ways to improve the team in any way they can. However, we must take into consideration that BLU's do the same."

"What are you getting at, Miss Pauling?" Soldier demanded impatiently.

"Have any of you noticed anything strange with the BLU's respawn time?" Miss Pauling asked.

The RED team was silent, and she could practically see the cogs whirring above their heads.

"Those bastards." Engineer gasped. "They've created a more efficient respawn machine."

"They have. They have cut their respawn time nearly in half. It takes you all eight minutes to come out of respawn…it takes them four and a half minutes now." Miss Pauling filled in.

The room was silent as everyone tried to process this new information.

"Engie…Medic…how long would it take you to create a respawn machine that can do the same?" Miss Pauling inquired.

"The same? It's difficult to say…it'd be easiest to just steal some of their intelligence. Their blueprints if they've got any. Tryin' to figure out how they've done this from afar could honestly take years." Engie stated with a sigh.

Medic nodded in agreement.

"So…not only do we have to focus on gettin' the briefcase with their crazy fast respawn times. Now we gotta try to snatch some blueprints for their respawn machine too?" Scout asked in exasperation.

"That won't be easy, Miss Pauling." Spy jumped in. "The briefcase is in the same, specific place because it is a key part of these…matchups. The blueprints, however, will be hidden under lock and key…they'll kill us all before we could even begin to find it."

"I am aware of this. Which is why the Administrator and I have come up with a possible solution." Miss Pauling said nodding to Spy.

"Well?" Demoman asked eagerly.

"You need to get these blueprints in order to make a faster respawn machine. You can't do that if you are all dead." Miss Pauling stated before taking a deep breath and saying, "The Administrator has proposed adding…a tenth mercenary to the team."

The team was quiet for a bit before Soldier said,

"Uh…Miss Pauling? How will another person help?"

"Yeah, uh, no offense or anything." Scout added with a nervous chuckle. "But, wouldn't that just be another person in respawn?"

"Not necessarily. If this person can complete the role assigned to them well, they could be an excellent addition." Miss Pauling rebutted.

"What is this new mercenary's role?" Spy questioned slowly.

Miss Pauling smiled.

"Backup."

(A Month before Lisa's Kidnapping)

"Administrator? I've done what you asked."

"Good. How does she look?"

"There's not much to her." Miss Pauling stated honestly tapping her earpiece while glancing at the girl currently unloading boxes of baked goods from the back of a commercial van.

"Describe her to me." The cool voice of the Administrator demanded.

"I'll be sending in pictures soon." Miss Pauling replied.

It was quiet on the other end of the line and Miss Pauling breathed deeply knowing that the Administrator was not satisfied with her answer.

"She's…dainty. Probably no more than five foot four. She has curly, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She's stronger than I thought at first, considering the size of the boxes she's carrying."

"Go on." The Administrator said in a disinterested tone, though Miss Pauling knew better.

"There's…honestly not much to her, Administrator. She is small but fairly toned. Seems to get along well with others." She noted as Lisa Fournier struck up a conversation with some employees and guests. They laughed at whatever she was saying, and they all went their separate ways smiling brightly and Lisa began humming to herself and continued unloading crates.

"I asked the employees about her earlier, and they had nothing but good things to say. It could be because her grandparent's own the place…but they genuinely seemed to like her, even love her." Miss Pauling stated thoughtfully as she watched the girl disappear with the final box into the bakery.

"Her grandparents are older. Possible early onset of dementia? They don't come to the New York location of their bakery as often anymore. They typically stay in their home in Montreal and if they work, it's at that location." Miss Pauling continued as she blended into the bustling streets.

"Hmmm…so they shouldn't be an issue?" The Administrator questioned.

"I don't believe so. They seem to be highly respected in both communities. Here in New York City and Montreal. Just about everyone seems to know of their bakery."

"Hmmm…we have to be careful then. This girl's disappearance could start an uproar if it got out."

"Understood, Administrator." Miss Pauling hesitated before asking, "Administrator…are you sure this is the right one for the job? She has extraordinarily little experience with…well, mercenary work. She bakes cookies and cakes and takes care of her elderly grandparents. Not the markings of someone with the job qualifications to be an assassin."

She could hear the Administrator take a long drag of her cigarette before answering her,

"Miss Pauling…have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Uh, no ma'am. Never." Miss Pauling stammered.

"Then why do you doubt me now?"

"Um…well…I'm so sorry for how this sounds. But ma'am…this position is already highly experimental. I just thought we would be looking for someone with more experience and qualifications then…a baker." Miss Pauling replied with a wince.

"As I have asked previously, Miss Pauling." The Administrator said with a soft sigh. "Why do you doubt me now?"

Miss Pauling straightened her shoulders and a determined glint settling in her eyes.

"My apologies ma'am. When would you like her to be recruited?"

(Present Day)

Lisa groaned softly as the bright light above her pierced her sensitive eyes.

"Ah! You're awake!" An excited voice chattered. "That is good! I was beginning to think you were in a coma!"

Lisa fought off another groan at the loud voice making her ears ring.

"Where am I?" She mumbled.

"Here." The voice said as a cup of water was thrust into her hands.

Lisa was helped into a sitting position and the world swam dizzyingly.

"Drink. It will help." The voice soothed.

Her vision cleared and she was suddenly acutely aware of the throbbing pain in her chest. She put a hand over it and whimpered softly, doubling over. As she rubbed, she realize that her shirt has been placed back on.

"Drink, fraulein." The voice said firmer this time.

Lisa started to sip and then quickly began to guzzle the soothing, cool water.

"Heiliger-! Do not gulp it down, you silly girl! You will make yourself sick!" The medic stated snatching the glass from her hands.

Lisa grimaced as the pulsing pain in her chest weakened to a dull ache.

"Your surgery went quite well after you passed out. Let me know if the pain persists. Take deep breaths and take it easy for the next couple of days while your body adjusts." The medic advised as he adjusted his glasses and wiped his hands on his shirt.

"Noted." Lisa grumbled wincing and rubbing her chest. She pulled her shirt collar away to glance at her chest. She braced herself for a horrible scar…only to find, nothing.

She gaped in confusion and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Looking for a scar?" The Medic asked amusedly. "You won't find one."

She quickly let her shirt snap back into place and turned her quizzical gaze to medic.

Medic walks over to the end of the room and taps a machine not to far from the gurney. In the excitement of the earlier surgery she had failed to see it. It was a large machine…unlike anything she had ever seen. It looked almost like a small cannon.

"Impressive, ja?" The Medic asked looking at her with a bright expression.

"What is it?" She asked wide eyed.

"This…is my Medi-gun." The Medic said beaming, a manic glint in his eyes.

"And…it healed me? Just like that?"

"Just like that." The Medic agreed with a nod.

"That's…that's incredible." Lisa managed.

"Oh, it is nothing." The Medic waved, though clearly preening under the praise. "You haven't experienced the Uber-charge or the Respawn machine yet. Those experiences are incredible."

"The respawn machine…that brings us back from the dead. Correct?" Lisa asked for confirmation.

"Correct." The Medic affirmed.

"I had no idea any of these things were even possible. I am not sure what an Uber-charge is but I look forward to seeing it."

"Oh, you'll do more than just see it. You'll probably experience it at some point." The Medic said nonchalantly.

"Oh…alright." Lisa said before her stomach gave a loud gurgle.

Her cheeks flushed bright red in embarrassment and the Medic gave a soft, chuckle.

"No need to be embarrassed, fraulein. Most patients are ravenous after the surgeries. Your body has burned an astronomical amount of calories healing at such a fast rate. It's to be expected. I'm assuming you do not know where the mess hall is?"

"No, sir." She said shaking her head.

"Oh, please. No need with the sir. We are all equals here." The Medic said heading for the swinging doors.

Lisa grabbed her vest from the table and jumped off the gurney after him.

"I believe it's Heavy's turn to cook tonight. We haven't stopped in town for groceries in a bit, so it is probably sandwiches." The Medic said as Lisa shrugged her bullet proof vest on.

"I'd honestly probably eat anything at this point." She muttered fastening the straps.

The two of them stepped into the mess hall. Heavy sat at the round table with large sandwich on his plate. Scout stood at the counter by the fridge assembling his tall, stacked sandwich.

"This is where I leave you, fraulein." Medics voice stated from beside her.

"Are you not going to eat?" She asked feeling her stomach rumble again.

"Nein. I usually eat later when everyone is gone. I will see you later, Fraulein. If you experience any continuing discomfort in your chest after twenty-four hours…please let me know."

With that the Medic left and Lisa was left standing in the room. The Medic had been cordial to her and the loss of his presence was felt as she now stood in the room with the two other mercenaries. Heavy seemed to ignore her presence for the most part and ate his sandwich in silence.

"'Ey! Backup! Right?" Scouts voice called from the counter. "How'd the surgery go?"

"Ummm-alright I guess." Lisa said walking quietly from the doors further into the kitchen towards the assortment of sandwich products on the counter.

"Well that's good. At least the Doc didn't accidentally leave a pigeon in you like he did with me. That was a nightmare, let me tell ya." Scout said animatedly as he slapped the final piece of bread on top of his tower of a sandwich. "I'm done with the sandwich stuff and everyone else has eaten. When you're done how 'bout you pull up a chair and eat wit' me? Team bonding or whateve'?"

"Sure. If you don't think I'll be a bother." Lisa replied tamely as Scout balanced the sandwich to the table.

"Nah. I'd tell ya if you were annoyin' me. Don't worry about dat." He said taking his seat and taking a huge bite.

"Good to know." Lisa murmured as she began to assemble her sandwich. She got out two slabs of white bread and began spreading mayonnaise onto them.

"So…where you from?" Scout asked and Lisa nearly dropped the knife in shock at the forward question. "I mean…I'm from Boston if ya couldn't tell already. You have a neat accent and I swear I've heard it before."

"I have an accent?" Lisa inquired turning her head slightly to face him.

"Yeah, a bit. It's not super noticeable. You pronounce some of your vowels different. Like…I dunno…they're more exaggerated? It's not by a lot! It's not bad or anything! It's just…"

"Huh, guess I never really noticed." Lisa replied after watching him backpaddle while putting lettuce and tomato on the bread.

"It's probably because you are around people who sound the same. You should hear me when I'm home! My accent becomes WAY thicker." Scout exclaimed before taking another large bite of his sandwich.

"I can imagine. I've never been to Boston, you like it there?" Lisa asked trying to direct the conversation from herself as she added some turkey to her plate.

"Eh, it's home. Ya know?" He said with an indifferent shrug.

Lisa just nodded before placing the sandwich together.

"There's some beer and water in the fridge if you want one." Scout said helpfully.

"Thank you." Lisa said as she opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She grabbed her plate and sat down between Scout and Heavy. Heavy sat at the far left hand at the table on the end and looked to be finished with his food. He was now reading what appeared to be a newspaper. Scout continued to take gargantuan bites of his sandwich.

Lisa sent a quick prayer over her food, lest the spirit of her Catholic grandmother appear out of nowhere and give her a stern scolding.

She opened her eyes after sending the prayer and began to eat her food quietly. She then noted Scout watching her quizzically from the corner of her eye.

"What?" She asked after taking a bite of her food.

"Nothin'. Just haven't seen anyone pray over their food in a while. You religious?"

"I was raised Catholic." Was all Lisa answered before taking another bite. Her stomach rumbled softly in contentment and she swore that a sandwich had never been so delicious.

"Really? Me too! Though I suppose that's not an uncommon thing in Boston. We went to mass occasionally and to church on Christmas Eve."

"Yeah, mine too." Lisa said with a smile while opening her water.

"Heh! What are the odds?" Scout chuckled before picking up a piece of pickle that had fallen off and popping it in his mouth.

"Well…a lot of the north is traditionally religious so it's not that improbable." Lisa replied hiding a smirk hoping he would take the bait as she went in for another bite.

"Ah ha! Knew it! So, you ARE from the north huh?" Scout stated slapping the table with his hand triumphantly.

"Yeah." Lisa shrugged taking a sip from her bottle.

"Which state you grow up in?" He asked taking a swig of his beer.

'Perfect. He fell for it.' She thought as she finished swallowing her water.

"New York."

His face morphed into confusion.

"Really? You don't sound like it?"

"People from upstate sound different than in the city." Was all Lisa offered as she continued to eat.

"Aw yeah! Dat makes sense." Scout replied finishing his sandwich off in a final bite.

Lisa went to take another bite when Scout said,

"Listen. Ya seem like a nice girl so imma give you a chance. Howeve'…if you tell me the Yankees are betta than the Red Sox we're gonna have problems."

Lisa blinked a few times as her brain tried to come up with an answer. It clicked.

"Oh…baseball? Sorry, never really got into it so we should be fine."

Things were not fine.

Scout's mouth dropped and a horrified look took over his face.

"Ya…Ya never got into baseball…"

"Umm…no…sorry. I never really got into very many sports." Lisa apologized as she watched him carefully.

The poor boy looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"You're from…New York…and you don't know ANYTHING about BASEBALL?!"

"I didn't say I don't know anything. I just never really got into sports. I was always really busy." Lisa replied, though her poor, Canadian heart longed to tell Scout that she loved hockey.

"With what? Seriously, baseball is the foundation of modern American culture. How do you not…" Scout trailed off looking in depressive shock at his empty plate.

"I'm really sorry." Lisa consoled taking another bite while watching Scout's brain whirl.

"Nah. Nah this…this isn't alright. You've…you've played before haven't ya? Please tell me you have." Scout pleaded.

"No…I don't think so." Lisa muttered cautiously slightly afraid of the young man's reaction.

Scout closed his eyes and took a deep breath before laying a hand on her shoulder and saying in the most serious voice she'd ever heard.

"The next time both of us have free time. I'm taking you out to da pitch and imma teach you some baseball. Then, I am going to educate you on why the Red Sox are a fa' bette' team than the freakin' Yankees."

"Ummm…ok…sure?" Lisa replied her eyes flitting to Heavy who was watching the exchange.

Heavy only offered her a shrug in response and she turned her wide eyes back to Scout.

"Sounds good, Scout…just…don't tell Soldier. Ok? He already thinks I'm a commie spy." Lisa begged quietly, genuinely afraid of what could happen should soldier find out about this fact.

Scout's eyes widened as if he had just been burdened with the greatest secret in the universe.

"Yeah, no. Of course! It's between you an' me. Nobody will know. We'll have you educated on the greatest American sport in no time."

"Thanks, Scout." She said gratefully before finishing her meal.

"Heavy. Dat goes for you too!" Scout said pointing a finger in his direction while clearing his plate.

"Da." Heavy said noncommittedly while flipping the page in his newspaper.

Lisa cleared her plate soon after and Scout snapped his fingers and said,

"Oh! Almost forgot. Miss Pauling said to meet her and Engie in the garage after you eat."

"Alright. Would you mind leading me there? I'm not sure where it is." Lisa asked apologetically.

"Yeah! No problem. Follow me." Scout said turning and walking with a brisk pace out the kitchen.

Lisa jogged quickly after, cursing his fast pace.

Author's Note: Next chapter should be exciting. Lisa's role will be more explained and she will receive her weapons. If you are enjoying my story, please leave a review! It really helps motivate me and I would love to meet more fans in the TF2 community!


	5. Da Family

(Meanwhile in a quaint, red brick townhouse in Montreal, Quebec).

An older woman with silver hair tied back neatly into a bun, wrung her hands as she gazed dejectedly out the window as snow fell softly in the night sky. Her husband, a short, muscular man with slicked back salt and pepper hair, stood with a hand on the fireplace mantlepiece. He huffed cigar and stared into the fire with burning intensity. The woman's worried green eyes analyzed the man standing in front of the warm fire.

"Anthony…how…how could this have happened?" She asked her voice trembling.

He turned his dark, brown eyes to meet hers and his face softened.

"Oh, mon cher. Come here." He murmured putting out his cigar and throwing it away, before opening his arms.

She walked into his welcoming arms and basked in the comfort of his embrace before saying tearfully,

"Your French is still terrible…even after all these years."

"Would you prefer I say, Mi Amore?" He said a grin evident in his voice as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"At least you can pronounce that one correctly." She snorted playfully as he tilted her head lovingly and brushed the tears from her eyes.

"How could this have happened?" She questioned. "I wasn't aware that we had a…"

"No." He said quickly with a shake of his head. "The only shipment for today were baked goods…nothing more."

She nodded biting her lip and gazing back to the window by the front door…half expecting her granddaughter to come bounding into the house with all the energy of a Canadian snowstorm. A bright smile on her face and those untamable, blonde curls bouncing her wake.

"I'm so worried…she's not ready for this. She's not built for this…"

"Marguerite. She is a Fournier…but she is also a Rossi. She is sturdier than she looks. And…she has to know someday if she is to run the family business. It's inevitable." Anthony corrected her firmly.

"I know…and you know, we were both planning on telling her soon. But…now she's been found with illegal weapons? And customs no longer has her and won't even tell us where she went! It's like she vanished. Is this…is this a personal attack?" She asked her husband willing the tears from her eyes.

"Possibly…but I wouldn't worry." Her husband said softly gently stroking her hand and bringing it up for a soft kiss.

"It's…it's not HIM is it?" She whispered.

His eyes turned cold and stony at that.

"No…that coward ran back home a while ago. He hasn't been seen anywhere near New York since then."

"I just…I worry for her."

"I know. I know." Anthony murmured kissing her forehead reverently before saying brightly,

"Why don't you bake some of those chocolate filled croissants I like so much? Baking always seems to calm you down anyways."

"Pain au Chocolat?" Marguerite asked with a wry grin.

"Yeah, those!" He said with a boyish smile.

She rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder,

"You're lucky I love you so much, mon amour."

"Forty years of marriage, I should hope so." He teased back.

She softly kissed him on the lips before bowing her head and whispering,

"Just…please get her back, Anthony. I can't lose another child."

He hugged her tightly and said with such conviction,

"Don't worry. We won't lose her. She'll be fine. You'll see."

She gave him a small sad smile before finally heading to the kitchen to begin baking. The man watched her go, an ache in his heart seeing his wife so worried. He bit back his anger at whoever had taken his granddaughter and this anger urged him onwards.

He walked up to the phone hanging on the wall in the living room and dialed a number.

" 'ey Boss!" A male voice said picking up quickly.

"How did this happen, Vinnie? We didn't have a shipment scheduled." Anthony growled into the phone getting straight to the point.

"No, we didn't." The voice agreed. "But I talked to the boys at the border and they found out somethin' real interestin'."

"What?" Anthony asked curiously.

"Those guns that were in the truck…they're definitely not ours. I was worried that some newbie, dunderhead may 'ave accidentally loaded the truck on the wrong day."

"Are you sure they're not ours?"

"Absolutely, boss."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because…they're Mann Co." The voice answered smugly.

This caused Anthony to freeze. The wheels in his head turning.

"Mann Co?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I swear. They 'ave Mann Co written all over 'em. The boxes. The guns. Hell, they even got receipts."

"Is there a name on the receipts?" Anthony asked, wondering if his granddaughter's assailant was genuinely stupid.

"Nah. Whoever set up our girl was at least smart enough to keep that hush hush. Howeve'…you and I both know that Mann Co ammunition and weapons are trash, right? Well…these guns are the cheapest possible. In fact, I doubt that they even sell these on the market. Not the legal market…or the black market." Vinnie continued. "I've never seen these models. I doubt they even work right. Though that's not sayin' much considerin' the manufacturer."

"Are you saying…"

"I'm sayin' I got some of our boys doin' some research. These aren't common weapons from this company."

"So, we research the serial number…"

"Yeah. And we should find the buyer."

"And if we cannot?" Anthony inquired.

"Don't worry, chief." Vinnie said confidently. "The boys at da border got hold of the footage of the woman Lisa left with."

"And has anything turned up with that?" Anthony asked rubbing his black mustache thoughtfully.

"Nothin'. Almost like she don't exist…though we both know if records are scraped that clean that it just means-"

"That they don't wanna be found." Anthony surmised.

"Exactly." Vinnie agreed.

"What about the vehicle?"

"Camera's placed on the outside of the station were tampered with. No footage of the car."

Anthony hummed thoughtfully.

"Don't worry boss. We'll get 'em." Vinnie ensured.

"I know…I just hope sooner rather than later."

"If I know anythin' about dealin' with Mann Co, which I do, it's that the current owner doesn't sell to just anyone. Ya gotta have some serious cash…which is beyond me for the quality but that's beside the point. So, suppose he has a client…they don't have the bank to pay for the usual supply, but Mr. Mann Co doesn't wanna lose a customer even if they aren't the ritz. Why? Because if he doesn't supply them, then that means they'd go to the competition. They get a betta deal…realize Mann Co's weaponry is trash and Mann Co. is now in hot water as news of this spreads. What would he do to prevent dat?"

"Give them the faultiest guns he has and charge them the highest price he can for them." Anthony replied.

"Exactly. The numbers on these receipts are astronomical for the garbage in these boxes but all things considerin'…it was probably the best deal they could get."

"And seeing that this is Mann Co., the worlds largest weapons manufacturer in the world…"

"Yeah…I doubt they have too many clients like dis. It shouldn't be too hard to weed through their list of regular clients."

"What makes you think they're regular?"

"Almost everyone who purchases from Mann Co is a regular. It's near cult like if ya ask me." Vinnie snorted derisively.

"Good work, Vincent. This is why you're my right hand." Anthony stated with approval.

"No worries, boss." Vincent replied brightly before sobering, "And…uh, Boss. Jus' so ya know…we're all worried for Lisa. She's part of da family too." His voice darkened before saying, "And no one messes with da family."

"No…no they don't." Anthony agreed his eyes darkening with controlled anger.

(Back at Teufort).

"So…Medic and Pyro are the only ones who don't cook?" Lisa asked as she and Scout continued their way to Engie's garage.

"Yeah, see…Pyro likes flames too much and Medic's cooking was actually really good…until we realized he was experimenting on us." Scout said nonchalantly.

"What? Seriously?!" Lisa gasped.

"Yeah." Scout laughed. "He would sneak different chemicals into the food to see how our bodies would react to them. I forget what else we did but then we kindly took him off the cooking schedule."

"Huh. Well…maybe I could cook sometime." Lisa said thoughtfully.

Scout lit up at this.

"Really?! You can cook?"

"Ummm…yeah. I can bake too." Lisa said shyly.

Scout whooped and said,

"Aw yeah! Dinner and dessert?! You're definitely bein' put on da list. And I am expectin' a great meal when it's your turn."

"We'll see. I'll do my best." She replied to his enthusiasm pushing down a smile. "I can cook alright, but baking is my specialty."

"Really? What kinds of things do you bake? Because…MAN…I could go for some fresh baked goodies. Haven't had any since I last visited my Ma."

"I mean…I can bake pretty much anything. A recipe is helpful, but I have quite a few memorized."

"I am makin' you a list of things to bake." Scout said pointing at her enthusiastically.

Lisa couldn't help but laugh at how excited he was.

"Alright. I'll do my best when we have down time. Payment for baseball lessons, right?"

"Yeah! That works!" Scout replied with a smile.

They both then walked down the metal stairs into a large open garage.

"Oh! There they are! Come over 'ere you two!" Engie called from below.

He was standing at a worktable with Miss Pauling and Scout and Lisa headed towards them. On the table lay a backpack, a baton and a pistol both with their own holster.

"What's all dis?" Scout asked.

"Backups weapon kit." Miss Pauling stated with a smile.

"Alright. See here?" Engie asked Lisa handing Lisa the baton. "This is one of your two main weapons. You're right-handed aren't ya?"

Lisa nodded as she accepted the weapons.

"Then put this one on your right. The gun on your left. You're going to rely on your pistol more than your baton…unless it's hand to hand combat in which case I'd go with the baton."

Lisa strapped them in. She held the gun with slight apprehension but managed to hide it well. It'd been a long time since she held a pistol.

"And finally, there's this." Miss Pauling stated holding the backpack up.

It resembled a vintage, swiss army rucksack backpack. Sturdy material with multiple pockets.

"It has multiple storage spaces for ammunition and the best part is inside." The Engineer said with excitement.

Miss Pauling opened it to reveal a metal contraption…it reminded Lisa of the machine she had seen earlier entering the building.

"A mini teleporter?" Scout asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. But it's for weapons." Engineer stated.

"As you know, she's backup. When one of you goes into respawn…she will fill your role for that brief time."

"Really?" Scout asked in astonishment.

"Well…that's the hope. She will receive versions of equipment and weapons of whoever is in respawn through the teleporter. Her carrying all those weapons at once just isn't feasible."

"Right." Miss Pauling agreed. "Though they won't be the exact same. Spy for instance. He has an invisibility cloaking device, disguise kit and a pistol as well as a butterfly knife. Backup will receive the invisibility device, nothing more. She is only trying to fill in until the real spy can come back. She will always carry the baton and pistol with herself though."

"Alright." Lisa replied feeling a bit overwhelmed with all this new information.

"Don't worry your head over it." Engineer stated kindly. "I'll show you how to do basic maintenance on my machines should they be down, so you can keep 'em runnin' until I get back. You won't have to worry about settin' up the sentry or tearin' em down or nothin'."

"That's good. I appreciate that, since I don't know much about machines…but there are roles I'm really concerned about filling in for…since I wasn't entirely aware of the extent of my job as backup. Heavy for instance…he's huge. I'm not sure I can fill his shoes." Lisa said trying to sound confident. "And Medic. I'm not a doctor and don't know medicine."

"As I said, you are only filling a role until they can come back. You will get a smaller machine gun when you are filling Heavy's role and the Medic usually isn't too far behind and can hopefully ubercharge you so that you can hold the BLU's back until Heavy respawns. And you won't need to deal with a Medigun when you are Medic. You will have a syringe gun and some med kits on you. It'll be fine." Miss Pauling explained with a dismissive wave.

"These weapons appear as the roles go into respawn, right? Will I fill multiple roles at once? And is there anyway I can practice with these weapons?"

"No. You will only fill the role of the first person in respawn. Then when they come back you will switch to the next person in respawn. Et cetera. Your weapons from the backpack will disappear when that role is up and you have a new one. If no one is in respawn, you are simply Backup and you have your baton and pistol to defend yourself with."

"Alright…but I can practice with these weapons…right?" Lisa asked searchingly.

"Oh of course. They'll be in the training room to practice with." Miss Pauling said with a nod.

Lisa shrugged the backpack onto her shoulders and fastened it tightly.

"MAGGOT! IT IS TIME TO BEGIN YOUR TRAINING!" A loud voice boomed from atop the metal staircase leading into the garage.

Everyone turned to see Soldier standing at the top with a large maniacal grin on his face under his large lop-sided helmet. Lisa gazed back at him in fearful apprehension.

"What does that mean exactly?" She whispered to the people around her.

"Oh, well, it probably means he has made a horrifying training ground of every torture and weapon imaginable." Scout said with an amused grin and gave her a pat on the back. "He does this for all the new people who join. I remember mine. I was put in respawn four times before I finally completed it. Good luck."

She glared back at the young man but before she could say anything, her arm was roughly yanked, and she was pulled away by the very eager Soldier.

"We should probably follow them." Engineer stated in tired resignation.

"We should. I think this should be a very interesting display of her skills." Miss Pauling said her eyes alight with interest.

"Well, then…by all means, ladies first." Scout stated with a dip and tipping his hat playfully.

Miss Pauling then headed after the fleeting form of Soldier and Backup while Engineer followed.

"I'll go rally everyone else." Scout shouted after following them a while and began to head to go get everyone.  
"Wouldn't hurt to grab some popcorn, either." He said to himself with an amused grin as he hustled to gather the team.

Author's note: Hey everyone! I hope you've been enjoying my story. Please let me know what you think in the comments! They really make my day.


	6. The Obstacle Course

Lisa’s arm was starting to grow numb with Soldier’s tight grip. The endless maze of hallways blurred and Lisa was honestly starting to feel dizzy. Soldier was blabbering on and on about patriotism and...something about tests to prove she’s American? Lisa was too busy trying to keep up with Soldier without stumbling over her own feet to really pay close enough attention to understand what he was saying. A set of double doors loomed ahead, and Soldier threw them open. With a soft hiss, Lisa brought up her free hand to shade her eyes from the sudden, intense glare of the sun.  
The sun was just beginning to set and streaks of gold and crimson scattered across the wide desert sky. Soldier never stopped his relentless pace and a wave of dust was left in their wake. Lisa blinked as dust flew into her eyes and she quickly rubbed them. Upon opening them, she saw what looked to be...a wall? No..a fence was a better word to describe what she was seeing. Ahead of her there was a makeshift fence. Sheets of rusted metal were stood up, side by side. There was barbed wire strewn haphazardly along the top. The wind blew and it caused the metal to rattle eerily and Lisa shuddered.

“Scared, Cupcake?” Soldier asked, throwing his head back to look at her.

Before Lisa could answer, Soldier got in her face and screamed,  
“YOU SHOULD BE! I CREATED THIS OBSTACLE COURSE MYSELF AND IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE GROWN MEN WEEP FOR THEIR MOTHERS!”  
He turned to pace and Lisa wiped the spit from Soldier’s passionate statement from her face in disgust and glanced around. To the left of her was a large stack of palettes on top of each other. Rusted nails jutted out in every direction and the wood was rough and splintered. 

“If you are afraid now it is NOTHING COMPARED TO THE FEAR YOU WILL FEEL ONCE YOU ARE INSIDE!” Soldier continued oblivious to Lisa surveying her surroundings.

He spun around and Lisa snapped back to attention. 

“To your left there is a seven foot wall of random wooden planks I found in the area. To get in, you must scale it! FOR MOST AMERICAN MEN THAT IS HARDLY A CHALLENGE! BUT FOR YOU…”  
He then leered and got into her face once more.  
“YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN MAN. IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN WOMAN THEN THIS SHOULD BARELY BE A CHALLENGE DESPITE YOUR INFERIOR STATURE!”

Lisa felt an angry blush color her face and tried to ignore the steady heat but Soldier noticed.

“DID THAT ANGER YOU, ROOKIE?! HA! I HAVE MET CHIPMUNKS MORE INTIMIDATING THAN YOU! BUT IT IS GOOD TO SEE THAT THERE IS A FIGHTING SPIRIT SOMEWHERE IN THAT SKINNY BODY OF YOURS!”

He twisted on his heel again and Lisa once again observed her surroundings. She glanced behind her to see most of the team gathered on an upper landing of the metal staircase on the outside of the building. Miss Pauling was leaning on the railing and offered her a smile and a wave. Scout was at her side by the railing stuffing popcorn in his mouth faster than should be humanly possible. Engie sat on the stairs and was fiddling with some sort of gadget in his hand. Next to him on the staircase watching what Engie was doing with interest was someone Lisa had not yet met. The person wore what looked like a gas mask and clapped their hands in child like glee when Engie offered them the trinket.   
‘That must be Pyro.’ She surmised from her conversation with Miss Pauling.   
She observed further.  
Spy was towards the back leaning against the wall smoking, looking bored and unimpressed. Demo staggered his way out of the doors leading to the landing and took a large swig of...whatever was in that bottle and collapsed against the back wall. It was large and brown and had X’s on it large enough to see even from where Lisa stood.. Following behind him was Heavy and Medic. Heavy appeared to ask him something and when the Medic replied his eyes seemed to light up as he realized what was happening and also stood at the railing with Scout and Miss Pauling. Medic walked down the staircase, squeezing past Pyro and Engie to sit below them. The only one unaccounted for was Sniper.  
‘I wonder where he is…’ Lisa wondered idly to herself before turning her gaze back to Soldier.

“-THERE WILL BE BOOBY TRAPS! THERE WILL BE MINES! THIS IS A COURSE OF AGILITY, SPEED, AND RAW STRENGTH! NOT ONLY WILL YOU HAVE TO FIND YOUR WAY OUT IN ONE PIECE...I WILL BE CHASING YOU WITH A SHOTGUN!”  
That got Lisa’s attention.

“EXCUSE ME WHAT?!”

He whipped out a shotgun and cocked it. Lisa gulped.  
“THE BATTLEFIELD IS NO PLACE FOR SISSIES. THIS IS ONLY A TASTE OF WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE NIGH EVERY DAY ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE WITH THIS TEAM! SHOULD YOU FAIL UTTERLY THEN YOU SHOULD LEAVE AT ONCE! PACK YOUR BAGS AND GO BACK TO WHATEVER AMERICAN TOWN YOU CRAWLED OUT OF...IF YOU’RE EVEN AMERICAN!”

Lisa felt lightheaded but tried to take deep calming breaths.  
“I AM DOING YOU A FAVOR ROOKIE! PREPARE YOURSELF AND PRAY TO WHATEVER GOD YOU BELIEVE IN!” Soldier continued ignoring her obvious terror. “  
I WILL GIVE YOU A SOLID TWO MINUTE HEAD START SINCE I AM FEELING GENEROUS TODAY! ON YOUR MARK!”

“Wait...what…”

“GET SET!”

As Lisa realized there was no way out, she faced towards the tall wall ahead of her and swallowed.  
‘You can do this. It’s just like when you used to make home deliveries and big scary dogs would chase you. It’s just like that...except that the big scary dog this time is a crazed man with a shotgun…’

“GO!” Soldier bellowed.

Lisa took off towards the fence as Soldier set a timer in his hand. Lisa used her momentum to leap and grab part of the fence. She winced feeling splinters dig into her soft exposed hands.  
‘Scary rabid dogs. Scary rabid dogs.’ Lisa kept chanting to herself as she climbed.  
She tried to avoid the rusty nails and the splinters but it was inevitable. Some caught on her clothing and cut her legs or arms. She made it to the top and threw herself over the edge, landing on her feet with a soft ‘oof!’

“ONE MINUTE ROOKIE!”

‘RUN. RUN. RUN.’ Her mind chanted.  
Lisa bolted forward and looked to see her path divide in two ways.  
Left or right?  
‘LEFT!’ Her brain screeched with urgency.  
She barreled left, nearly stumbling and kept running. The path swerved and she slowed her pace a bit. Soldier had mentioned something about booby traps...what exactly…  
She suddenly tripped over a wire and fell to the ground. She had no time to process the air leaving her lungs with her heavy fall as her heart leapt into her throat. She glanced up and to her left to see a load of bricks swinging at her from a makeshift pulley system. She flattened herself to the ground with a squeak. There was a solid WHOOSH as the ton of bricks swung just barely over her prone body and smashed hard into the metal fence next to her and hit it with jarring force. She breathed shakily as it swung back over her again but slower having lost momentum. She picked herself up and army crawled out from under the swinging trap. She got up on her feet still shaking as she quickly glanced at the trap. The pulley had been above her the whole time and she had been too enveloped by her fear to notice.   
She quickly began to run again, more wary and observant of her surroundings just as she heard Soldier yell,  
“TIMES UP, CUPCAKE! HERE I COME!”

A terrifying war cry erupted from the direction she had heard him from.  
‘OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!’ Her brain screeched unhelpfully as she sprinted.  
Soldier’s boisterous energy did help Lisa determine the direction he was coming from which was enormously helpful in avoiding him. She ducked around a few more sharp turns and looked above to see a series of ropes all intertwining.   
‘Another booby trap?’ She wondered as she slowed to a jog.  
She slowed to investigate in front of her but before she could do that, she realized she hadn’t heard Soldier in a bit. Perspiration gathered on her brow as she stopped and hugged the wall closely...listening. Nothing. She turned to look at the trap in front of her. This time, it was a shotgun mounted on the top of the right wall. A wire to pull the trigger. But before that, there was something in the sand. Upon closer inspection...it was a bear trap hidden in the dirt. She would get trapped, fall and trigger the shot gun resulting in her swift and immediate demise. She cautiously stepped over the wire and around the bear trap and treaded carefully on. She kept an ear out for Soldier. It was then that she could hear the heavy footsteps of someone nearby. Directly to her right actually.  
Thinking swiftly, she ducked down another path and just behind a sheet of metal moving as quietly as she could. She glanced behind her with a feeling of sinking dread...a dead end. She’d cornered herself.   
The footsteps had slowed from a run and she heard Soldier’s voice ring out with an annoyed edge to it,

“Very interesting strategy, cupcake. Playing it safe...and quiet. Me being the obviously bigger and stronger fighter, I can see how it would be intimidating to fight me head on.”

He quickly skidded out into the opening with his shotgun in hand. He then continued moving forward confidently when she was not in his sights.   
Lisa crouched low in her hiding place at the bend of a path just across from him. She tried to quiet her breath but it continued to come in soft rattles. She had to deter him from coming in this direction...but how? 

“However...hiding and attacking me when I am not aware is COWARDLY!” He growled whirling in another direction.  
Lisa realised he was trying to get a rise out of her in hopes of her revealing her location. What could she use to send him a different way? She glanced at the ground and saw a rock. It was large enough to fit in her palm and she picked it up quietly. 

“IF I WERE A LESSER MAN PERHAPS YOU COULD CATCH ME UNAWARES! BUT I AM NOT A LESSER MAN!” Soldier continued to rant.

If she could send him back the way he came...that means she could slip by and go through the path he was currently standing in front of.   
With a quick peek, she could see Soldier facing the direction she wanted to go. Straight forward from the path of the trap. She just needed him to go back the way he came so she could sprint down the way he was currently facing. Anything was better than dying cornered. She palmed the rock in her hand and sent a prayer to God as she watched Soldier begin to head down the path she wanted to go.   
She reeled back her arm and threw it as hard as she could in the direction he had come from. With a solid CLANK the rock hit a wall in that direction.   
With an excited and triumphant laugh, Soldier ran back in the direction he had come, shotgun at the ready. Lisa booked it around the bend and left, down the path.   
She heard Soldier give an enraged scream when he realized he’d been tricked and she pushed herself faster, adrenaline pumping. She could hear his pounding footsteps somewhere behind her and she knew that trick wouldn’t work again. He would quickly gain on her and catch up if she didn't think of something fast. She continued straight without turning right or left when she came to another set of diverging paths. She then turned left and hit another dead end. Cursing herself for wasting time she ran back to her original path and took a right instead. To her horror Soldier stood in front of her further down the path. He leveled his shotgun at her with a grin. Releasing a startled yelp she ducked back behind the wall but not before a few pellets settled deeply in her thigh. She screamed in pain as she ducked behind the wall and she could hear Soldier laugh. She glanced down at her thigh and dry heaved. So much blood…

“You gave it a good run, cupcake…” She could hear Soldier brag as he reloaded his shotgun heading in her direction in a casual pace, knowing she couldn’t run. “In respect for your tenacity, I will kill you quickly.”

She sank against the wall and onto the ground a hand going to her thigh with a low pained whimper.

“However! You didn’t face me in combat once! RAN LIKE A COWARD! I AM A MAN OF MY WORD SO I WILL STILL KILL YOU QUICKLY BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN I’LL LIKE IT!”

‘This is it. It’s over.’ Lisa thought to herself as the world became fuzzy.  
‘Fights aren’t over until you’re dead, Lisa.’ Her grandfather’s voice rang out in her mind.  
She was taken back to a time a few years ago. Her grandfather was brushing her up on her self defense skills. With guns being outlawed, he insisted on her learning basic hand to hand combat...especially after…  
Lisa shook her head...no...he was nothing but an awful memory. One better left in the past. Focus on Grampie. She remembered her grandfather sparring with her. He pulled a cheap move when she went in for a swing with her fist and she ended up with the air knocked out of her on the ground.  
‘That was cheap, Grampie.’ Lisa groaned from the mat.

‘No such thing.’ Grampie rebuked offering her a hand. ‘In a fight, there is no such thing as fair. For one, your opponent will never be fair. Two, you’re small. They’ll see you as an easy target. Use every resource available to you. Use whatever you need to be able to make an escape. Your life is your priority...who cares about fair when your life's on the line.’

She opened her eyes and realized she was probably becoming delirious from blood loss. Did he hit an artery?  
No...she can’t give up now. Her left hand clenched, while her right hand red with her blood, grasped a large handful of sand and dirt from next to where she sat slumped in a near stupor. 

“Don’t worry, Grampie. I remember what you said.” Lisa slurred deliriously.

She closed her eyes and focused on the footsteps over the loud drumming of her beating heart.  
One...two...one...two...one..NOW!  
On a final burst of adrenaline, Lisa gave an enraged scream and threw the handful of sand and dust at Soldier’s face while she used the left hand to push the side of the barrel of the gun away from her body. With a surprised shout, Soldier fired the gun and it shot wildly. There was a split second of him throwing back his head as dirt and dust was thrown into his eyes that exposed his neck. Lisa pulled back the hand that had thrown dust and curled it into a fist. She then brought the fist up into the exposed neck of Soldier with a brutal CRACK! Soldier fell to the ground with a solid THUMP.   
She had no time to process her victory as her leg gave out and she collapsed to the ground where she had been standing. She turned her blurry gaze up and saw the exit in front of her. Freedom.  
She struggled back to her feet and limped passed Soldier’s unconscious body...forward. That’s all she was focused on. She had fought dirty...and she had made an escape from her attacker. She was proud. Delirious...but proud. 

“Grampie would be proud.” She muttered incoherently as she stumbled forward.

Chaos was erupting from where the other mercs were gathered. It hadn’t occurred to her what she had just accomplished. She was in pure survival mode...will to live and instinct driving her forward. She could contemplate the consequences of what she had done later. For now she stumbled forwards...her leg gave out again. She collapsed to her knee with a groan and then she heard a click. Her mind went back to when Soldier had mentioned mines.

‘Are you kidding m-’ was the final thought she had before there was a loud explosion and everything went black.

Author’s note: This was later than I wanted but my laptop has broken down for the millionth time since 2020 has started. Anyways, it’s here now! Let me know what you think in the comments!


	7. Reevaluations

(In the Sniper’s Nest)

Sniper sat alone in his Sniper’s nest. The tower was further away from the main buildings and it was nice and tall. Occasionally the old wooden boards would creak as he climbed the stairs or walked around the tower but it was alright. Not bad enough that it would blow his cover should someone be looking for him. He enjoyed the quiet. He liked being alone. It gave him time to think. He sat on an old crate and watched as the sky turned red and orange as the sun began its descent. He took a deep breath and felt his shoulders loosen as he began to relax. He missed this. Just alone...watching the sun set. Nature is beautifu-  
He heard shouting from below.  
He quickly turned his gaze from the window downwards. Soldier was dragging the new recruit by the arm towards...oh. Soldier had constructed an obstacle course to test the recruit. Sniper smirked to himself remembering last summer when Soldier had forced Scout to participate in one. It had been wonderful to see Scout’s ego get knocked down a few pegs. His eyes turned to the girl who was glancing about anxiously.  
He reached for his sniper rifle and leveled it with the window and watched through the scope in order to get a better look. She had turned to watch the other mercs crowded along the outside of the closest building on the upper landing. His attention was brought back to the Soldier and Backup below as she was yelling something in panic and Soldier began a countdown. He watched her realize it was a losing battle to argue with the lunatic and turn her body towards the fence. He watched her face pull into a determined frown and her body tense getting ready to run. His eyebrows raised in intrigue and a wicked grin crossed his face.  
Soldier bellowed GO!  
The girl ran and took a leap to the fence. She grasped it and began to shimmy her thin body up it.  
He chortled watching her struggle up the fence...though she was making decent time all things considered.

“Flimsy noodle arms.” Sniper muttered to himself with a dismayed shake of his head, remembering Soldier’s words from earlier while watching her struggle her way up. 

Not too bad for the string bean. She threw herself over the edge and landed as Soldier shouted the minute warning. She took off like a shot.

“Run, little rabbit. Run.” Sniper murmured quietly watching her the way a hawk would his prey.  
Her pace was fast, he noted. Not bad. However, as she was barreling through the course...she didn’t seem to notice the trap she was heading straight towards.

“It’s more than just your hair that's blonde, eh?” Sniper snorted in amusement eagerly watching the scene unfold.

The poor stringbean tripped over the wire and landed face first in the dirt. A pile of bricks swung down at her.

“And scene.” He muttered waiting for the wail before death as he pulled his eyes away from the scope. A disappointing performance really. He had hoped for a bit more fight. He gave it two days before she left.

But there was nothing.  
He turned his scope back to watch the girl army crawling out from under the swaying load of bricks.

“Bein’ small has its advantages.” He said softly his scope never leaving her fleeing form. “Got lucky once...how long ‘til that luck runs out?”

“TIMES UP, CUPCAKE! HERE I COME!” Soldier yelled so loudly that even Sniper could hear it.

The girl picked up the pace but Soldier was not too far behind. The mad man giggled with sadistic glee and Sniper almost felt bad for Soldier’s prey. He turned his scope back to watch her and he saw her observing the trap in front of her before carefully stepping around it.  
Sniper hummed to himself as he watched her get past it before panicking and diving behind the safety of a metal barrier. Unfortunately, it was a dead end.

“Whatcha gonna do now, blondie? He’s got ya cornered…” Sniper tutted watching as Soldier appeared, his shotgun at the ready. 

The girl watched Soldier from her hiding spot and stayed quiet as Soldier attempted to get a rise out of her. She looked down and picked up a rock. His eyebrows raised in recognition at that.  
Soldier began to stalk further into the maze just as she threw it. Soldier whirled and ran in the direction of the noise, and sheila was off like a shot down the direction he had just been.

“Clever.” He commented watching her dart about.

However, she made a wrong turn and wasted valuable time. Soldier ran ahead of her on the path and once he saw that she had not yet made it out, he turned with a wicked grin and waited near the exit. The girl ran out into the opening and quickly tried to double back but was met with a few pellets to the thigh. She screamed in pain and collapsed against the wall, holding her bleeding thigh.

“Yeah. Bet that smarts.” He whispered to himself before turning back to watch Soldier leisurely making his way over, preparing for the kill.

He once again turned his scope to the girl bleeding out and nearly unconscious.

“Good try. Just weren’t good enough.” He stated unsurprised as the Soldier rounded the turn.

Then with a startling war cry, the girl flung herself to her feet. Whipping a handful of dust and sand into Soldier’s eyes while simultaneously pushing his shotgun aside. The gun went off, it’s pellets scattering aimlessly. Then, she launched her fist directly into Soldier’s throat with impressive speed and force. With a solid crack that echoed, Soldier fell backwards to the ground and lay unmoving.  
The girl fell to her knees breathing heavily.

Sniper was silent as he watched the girl struggle to her feet. She started limping towards the exit.  
She continued to limp unsteadily forward, before her leg gave out once again...and setting off a landmine that tore her body into pieces.

Sniper pulled himself away from his scope and sat back thoughtfully as he reevaluated.

(8 minutes later)

Lisa jolted as she saw a flash of light and was standing on a pair of metal pieces. She felt ill. Her stomach lurched and she walked unsteadily off the strange, metal machine and to the ground collapsing to all fours as she dry heaved. She swallowed back bile as she broke into a cold sweat. She heard voices loudly arguing from somewhere nearby. As the nausea began to slowly seep away, her vision cleared. She realized that she was currently in the garage she had originally entered the building with Miss Pauling and Scout. 

She rose unsteadily to her feet and began to follow the sound of the voices.  
She walked up the staircase and entered the building. She continued to walk forward, listening to the voices become clearer as she got closer. She arrived at a pair of double doors which she recognized as doors to the recreation room. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and was met by all the mercs standing around arguing.

“She didn’t technically win because she exploded at the end.” Medic stated clearly while polishing his glasses.

“Yeah! So, all those bets we made were invalid! Right?” Scout said with a desperate nod.

“Non. The deal was...If I was listening properly...which I was, if Backup managed to somehow escape Soldier for good. Not if she made it out of the maze. That was not specified.” Spy stated casually from the chair he was lounging in.

“That-That’s not-What?! NO! That DEFINITELY WASN’T THE DEAL!” Scout sputtered angrily.

“That was deal.” Heavy rumbled deeply from his seat at the table before taking a swig of his beer.

“You’re takin’ ‘is side?! If I’m not mistaken’ pal you lost money too!” Scout squawked.  
“No one’s side. Is only true.” Heavy said blithely, clearly unbothered. He then turned to look at the door where Lisa was standing and a broad smile crossed his face as he gave a boisterous laugh,  
“HAHAHAHA! THERE IS LITTLE MOUSE!”

All eyes turned to her and she timidly waved to the group.

“ ‘eard your test with Soldier was a real treat to watch, lass!” Demo said with a chuckle raising his bottle in a clumsy salute. “Almost sorry I was too drunk to know what was happenin’!”

“Um...Thank you?” Lisa replied unsure as Demo nodded drunkenly and took another drink. “Where’s Miss Pauling?”

“Miss Pauling left not too long ago. Had some urgent business to deal with.” Medic stated before a wicked grin of delight crossed his face as he said, “That’s quite the arm you’ve got, fraulein. Soldier was still passed out by the time I got to him with my Medigun!” 

Her eyes then caught a figure hunched in the corner. His shoulders were slumped and arms were crossed. He refused to face in her direction. Was Soldier...sulking?

“Uh...it was nothing really. Dumb luck.” She muttered feeling a twinge of guilt over Soldier’s normally animated self now depressed remaining unengaged in the corner of the room. His pride was clearly wounded.

“Yeah, well, you’re dumb luck cheated me out of twenty bucks.” Scout grumbled sullenly.

“What? Seriously?” Lisa asked, perking up in curiosity.

“Ja. These dummkopfs made bets on you.” Medic chuckled, grabbing some water from the fridge.

“Really?” Lisa questioned with an uplifted eyebrow.

“Well...mostly made bets on you losing fight.” Heavy rectified. 

“Well...they lost...so who bet on me?” Lisa asked in confusion looking around the room at the mercs.

“No, you lost...the person betting on ya just found a loophole in the deal. Semantics.” Scout scoffed, taking a large gulp of his beer, clearly annoyed.

She ignored him and continued to look and saw Engie sitting there with the biggest grin counting through a large stack of green bills.

“Engie? You bet on me?” Lisa asked in confusion though she couldn’t help feeling a small flicker of joy in her chest that someone had believed in her enough to put money down.

“What can I say? I like an underdog. It paid off this time.” Engie chuckled, waving the wad.

“Well...I can’t say I won. I did explode at the end.” Lisa muttered, throwing a glance at Soldier again, who she could tell was listening. “It’s a stalemate. It wouldn’t be American to leave this unfinished…”

Soldier stood up so fast that his chair fell over and he spun to look at her.

“SO BE IT MAGGOT! A STALEMATE IS NON CONCLUSIVE! NEITHER WON AND NEITHER LOST! WE WILL CONTINUE TRAINING TOMORROW! HOWEVER...DON’T EXPECT IT TO BE SO EASY...AND NO CHEAP TRICKS!”

He struck out a hand to her and she saw this as an olive branch.  
She reached out to shake it and he grabbed it and shook it before grasping it tightly.

“It’s a deal, cupcake. However! This doesn’t mean I trust you or am impressed by your valor! NO SAND IN THE EYES! THAT IS WEAK AND COWARDLY ALTHOUGH CLEVER! I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO FIGHT ONE ON ONE, LOOKING YOUR ENEMY DIRECTLY IN THE EYES AS YOU SNUFF THE LIFE OUT OF THEM! JUST AS GOD INTENDED!”

He gruffly patted her shoulder and left the room.

“Is it just me...or is it everytime I speak to Soldier...he marches out of the room?” Lisa questioned wondering what had just happened.

“Hrrrduh! Hrrduh duh duh Hrrrrwompwomp.” Came a voice from the Pyro sitting on the floor not too far away from her playing with a lighter. 

At least Pyro’s voice sounded...mostly friendly. Lisa still eyed the lighter in apprehension though.

“Yeah...I agree.” Engie nodded sagely. “I wouldn’t worry too hard over it, darlin’.”

Lisa was about to ask how Engie understood the mumbling but decided against it as Engie asked,  
“Scout? It’s gettin’ late and I’m sure she’s tired. Mind showin’ her her quarters?”

He then turned his gaze back to Lisa.

“Sorry if they aren’t...up to standard. We didn’t know when you’d come and there were only eight rooms available.”

“Eight? Aren’t there ten of us?” Lisa questioned.

“The bushman sleeps in his campervan.” Spy interjected his voice nonchalant before fixing Lisa with a stern look. “I would advise you to settle in quickly and rest up for tonight. You will be training with Soldier...but you will also be training with Engineer. Medic. And…” A devilish grin that was not entirely friendly crossed his face. “Me.”

“You?” Lisa asked her voice cracking.

Spy pulled out his butterfly knife and spun it experimentally while eyeing it,  
“Will that be a problem?”

“N-no. I just-” Lisa stammered.

“Excellent. Off with you. I can tell you that no one here appreciates laziness or tolerates weakness. Let’s hope your display today proves us wrong and was more than sheer dumb luck.” Spy clucked flicking his blade closed and meeting her eyes with an intimidating stare.

“Yeah...sure. Scout? You were going to show me where I’m staying?” Lisa asked nervously, wanting to be anywhere but in that room. 

“Yeah yeah. Don’t get pushy.” Scout mumbled as he headed out the room with Lisa close on his heels.

Lisa tried to keep up but Scout marched like he was on a mission. He pointedly ignored her and his jaw was set firmly.

“Scout?” She tried.

He ignored her.

“...Scout?” She insisted.

He sighed in annoyance, still upset over the gambling situation.  
“What?”

“I was just wondering if there was a place for me to bathe? I’ve kinda been through alot today and would like to shower.” Lisa asked, fiddling with her hands uncomfortable with the accusatory glance Scout was giving her currently. Such a one eighty from the boy she had been speaking to earlier about baseball with. She decided to try puppy eyes. That usually worked. She widened her big green eyes a bit and pulled her lips into a shaky frown,

Scout glanced back at her before frowning in confusion as he took in her pitiful appearance.  
“What is this? What’s with the eyes? No. Stop.”

She continued, widening them a bit more for the full affect.

“Stop. You’re makin’ me feel guilty for some reason. Just..stop lookin’ like a kicked puppy...I can’t stand it.” Scout muttered angrily rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“I just wanted to know if there were showers…” Lisa trailed off softly not giving up the sad kicked puppy act.

“Uhhhh…yeah there are showers. They’re...they’re not super private though. Little stalls with curtains but still...you might wanna make sure nobody is in there before you-”

“Oh...yeah. That could go wrong so fast.” Lisa mumbled, dropping her puppy eyes.

“Yeah. Don’t want that.” Scout chuckled falling into pace with her before looking at her, clearing his throat and saying, “Sorry for bein’ so cross with ya, Backup. I just was expectin’ to make some money today, not lose it.”  
“Well, maybe that will teach you not to underestimate me so much.” Lisa rebutted lightly playfully shoving his shoulder.

Scout laughed and rubbed the area she shoved before saying,  
“Maybe. I’ll consider it.”

Soon the two of them arrived at a door that read ‘Supply Closet.’ Lisa’s eyes widened.

“Is this?”

Scout tsked in sympathy.  
“Yeah...I dunno what’s in there and don’t wanna. Supposedly there’s a cot in there. But this is where I leave ya! Good luck!”

Before she could stop him, he had already dashed away. 

“Such a punk.” Lisa muttered to herself before lowering the creaky handle and opening the door to reveal a dusty room.

She coughed as dust flew up and she waved a hand to clear up the air. Boxes upon boxes of lay stacked upon each other with the words ‘RED BREAD’ on the side. 

Her eyes widened with horror.  
“Is...Is this all...moldy bread?”

Unfortunately it was. She found a mattress thrown haphazardly against a wall with a pair of red sheets, a thin blanket and a single white pillow. She observed the state of the room feeling exhaustion seeping into her bones.

“Well...it won’t clean itself.” She stated tightening her jaw in determination, before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.

(Meanwhile with Miss Pauling)

Miss Pauling was thoroughly exhausted...though she was pleasantly surprised with the way the day had gone. Perhaps Lisa Fournier would acclimate to this role better than she thought. Her survival instincts had been impressive coming from a woman with seemingly no training. There was potential.  
Miss Pauling stepped off her moped that she had picked up after dropping off the truck and headed into the Administrator's base towards her small room to rest for a few hours before going to her next assignment. She stepped into the room and took her hair out of it’s bun with a soft sigh of relief. She stepped out of her heels and she hadn’t realized how much they ached. She sat at her small dining table and rubbed them, trying to soothe the tense and aching muscles. Then...her phone rang. Thinking it was the Administrator she didn’t check the caller ID and answered.  
“Yes? I’m here.” She said dutifully.

“Hello Miss Pauling.” An unknown voice greeted icily.

Miss Pauling was suddenly very awake.

“Who is this? How did you get this number?”

“People talk, Miss Pauling. Especially for the right price.” The voice continued unnervingly.

Miss Pauling didn’t answer as she placed her shoes back on and quickly threw her hair back into a bun so she could run to the Administrator.

“You have something of mine and I want it back.”

Miss Pauling furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and then her mouth dropped when the voice answered back.

“My granddaughter. Where is she?”

Author’s Note: Sorry this took so long! My laptop is busted so I’m borrowing my brothers when he isn’t using it. Hope you enjoyed and I am loving the comments! Thank you to batsybatsybatsy4u and via for the kind words. Comments really make my day and encourage me to keep writing! Hope you all have a great day and I’ll see you at the next chapter!


	8. Twenty Four Hours

Lisa’s body ached like never in her life. Soldier had tried to show her a signature battle maneuver called Rocket Jump. He had shoved the rocket launcher in her hand, and she had proceeded to blow up and respawn…thirteen times. She had to admit, exploding was a horrible way to go…although she wasn’t feeling as sick from respawn anymore. It was becoming easier and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. She would respawn and jog back to where Soldier was impatiently waiting for her tapping his foot. After being forced to do ten push-ups and ten pull-ups for every time she was sent to respawn, Soldier finally took pity on her shaking, panting form.

“Alright, rookie. I can’t stand to watch your pathetic attempts at patriotism and athleticism any longer. It is making me sad to watch. You remind me of those kittens at the kitten orphanage.” He muttered disappointed.

Lisa collapsed into the hot, desert sand beneath her with a groan. Her curly hair was frizzy and stuck every which way despite how tightly she had tried to braid it behind her head. It did not help that she had spent most of the night removing boxes of moldy bread from her room and had eventually collapsed on the mattress out of sheer exhaustion. She had woken up to Soldier breaking down her door and dragging her out of bed, still dressed in the clothes she had worn the previous day. So, she was tired, hungry, thirsty as well as smelly and sticky from sweat. Part of her just wanted to die…but knew it would be futile because of that infernal respawn machine. Her lungs were wheezing, and her heart thumped hard in her chest. Her limbs quaked and she could barely hear Soldier over the blood roaring in her ears. 

“ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, ROOKIE?!” Soldier bellowed from somewhere above her.

“Huh…what…” Lisa managed to get out between heavy panting.

“Spy does not tolerate tardiness. EVEN MORE SO THAN ME! A TRUE PATRIOT! GET A MOVE ON, ROOKIE! HUP HUP HUP!” Soldier yelled clapping his hands.

Lisa lifted a finger up wearily and whimpered,  
“Soldier…I think I may be having a heat stroke. I’ll see Spy…when I see him.”

Her finger fell back down as she lay face first in the dirt.

“Heat stroke? UNACCEPTABLE! I HAVE LIVED IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN DESERT FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THIS AILMENT!” Soldier cried back defensively, though it was laced in confusion with a touch of concern. 

“Soldier. I’m from somewhere that is very cold for most of the year and I am-“

“RUSSIAN?! I KNEW IT! YOU COMMIE! WHAT DO YOU-“

“There are other cold places in the world other than Russia, Soldier. Some are in the United States.” Lisa muttered from her place on the ground.

“Hmmm, good point. But I still don’t buy it. I’ll figure out where you’re from-“

“Great. Until then…could I have some water? Please? Else I think I’m going to pass out.” Lisa said wearily.

“Does that cure heat attacks?”

“Heat strokes? It helps.” Lisa answered with a bit of a sarcastic bite.

She heard Soldier run off and just lay there baking in the heat of the desert. When the heat became unbearable, she rose to her knees, every joint and limb trembling. With a sigh, she dusted herself off and looked up just in time for her to receive an entire barrel of water to the face.  
She just sat there in shock as her orifices filled with liquid as she choked. She began to cough up water from her lungs and nose into the now soaked ground beneath her. Once she got her bearings, she looked up to see Soldier watching her curiously.  
“Did the water help save you from the warmth stroke?”

She just hung her head defeatedly before standing to her feet and managing to say,  
“Yeah, Soldier. I feel a bit better. Where is Spy?”

After receiving directions to the training center and getting lost a few times and to her embarrassment having to ask Scout for directions, she eventually arrived. She was still sopping wet and every step she took made a solid SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT sound that echoed around the room. She brushed a stray, damp curl from her face away in annoyance as she glanced around. She turned her gaze to a clock ticking loudly on the wall. She was late. Not horribly so, but she was still late. The handles on her backpack were causing her skin to ache and she groaned recognizing what it was before she removed it and set the soaked bag on the ground. She grimaced looking at the angry red the skin on her hands and the exposed skin on her neck had turned. Judging by her neck, it wasn’t much better. Despite the multiple times she had been sent to respawn she had still managed to burn. 

“You’re late.” A voice commented smarmily from the shadows.

Out emerged Spy, looking as pristine and put together as ever. Lisa couldn’t stand it. Here she was…looking like she’d been run over by a bus. Actually, that may be preferable at this point.  
Spy looked her up and down looking disapprovingly.  
“That is hardly appropriate attire for sparring.”

“Blame, Soldier. He’s the one who threw a barrel of water at me.” Lisa grumbled.

“Well, in any case, next time come prepared more appropriately for sparring.” He said casually putting out his cigarette.

“Sparring?” Lisa croaked.

“Yes.” Spy replied. “Despite what that brute may have told you, there is more to the battlefield than rockets and missiles. Some of us are more…finessed.”

He walked into the middle of the arena flipping his knife with ease and she took that are her cue to follow.  
She ducked into the ring and he was facing her. His back was straight with his arms crossed behind him, and his crafty blue eyes seemed to see right through her. She rubbed her wet arms self-consciously and averted her gaze from his as she continued forward. 

“If you are to adequately fill in the role of Spy when and if I should be incapacitated. You will need to take my place…as well as you can.” He said with a derisive sneer.

She was too tired to give a decent rebuttal and just nodded.

“Now…have you had any training in self-defense? That swing you took at Soldier the other day would indicate at least a little.”

“I mean…my grandfather taught me a little bit.”

“Your grandfather?” Spy probed.

Lisa cursed herself for giving out personal information.

“Yeah-he…he uh-really wanted me to learn. He’s very protective.” She stammered backtracking but Spy was relentless.

“And you’re here? Your grandfather isn’t worried?” He questioned examining his blade and running a finger along the blade. “Seems…uncharacteristic of a protective grandparent…unless he doesn’t know you’re-”

“Are we here to spar or not?” Lisa interrupted rubbing her eyes irritably. “If not, I’d like to take a shower and then forget today ever happened.”

He turned his gaze from the knife to her, his eyes giving away nothing. 

“Oui. Prepare yourself.”

“Prepare myself?” Lisa wondered aloud before jumping back with a gasp as Spy swung the knife at her throat.

Spy lifted the knife and began to circle her. Lisa brought her fists up, her mind trying to recall everything her grandfather had taught her.

“Your form isn’t abhorrent.” Spy commented spinning the knife in his hands. “Tell me, how much do you know of your job? Or mine?”

Lisa watched as he changed direction and she quickly did the same. Trying to keep space between them.

“You…are obviously not a front-line fighter.” Lisa started her eyes flitting nervously to the knife in his hands, all the while keeping her fists up to try to defend should he attack.  
“I’m assuming you focus more on…infiltration?”

He smirked.

“Yes.”

Then he swung at her.

She did her best to block but he nicked her arm. She jumped back to try to gain distance, but he pursued. She went to swing at him, but he caught her arm and wrapped his under it. It was a painful arm lock and she hissed at the pressure as Spy held the knife to her throat. She whimpered feeling it press into her skin. Her free hand came up to try to pry his hand away, to no avail.

“Obviously, your grandfather did not train you enough.” He tutted releasing her, causing her to fall back with a gasp. Her hand touched her throat and rubbed it soothingly. Her body broke into a sweat.

“Had that been the other teams Spy, you would have been dead.” He reprimanded turning back to her. 

She observed him unable to keep the fear from flickering in her eyes as he rounded on her again. She brought her arms up and moved from him faster. It was useless because she soon found herself on the ground with multiple cuts and Spy standing over her with a foot on her chest pinning her down.

“Pathetic.” He snorted letting her get up.

He walked away from her and she slowly got to her feet.  
“Again.” He stated raising his hand with the knife.

“This is pointless.” She complained. “I don’t know how to defend myself against you.”

“That is a shame considered my BLU counterpart will more than likely not even be attacking you directly.” Spy sneered.

“What?” Lisa asked tilting her head.

Spy stopped to point at the watch on his wrist.  
“I believe you will remember my…what was it…ah yes, “terrifying” introduction yesterday?” Spy jabbed with a self-assured smile thrown in Lisa’s direction as she gritted her teeth growing tired of his endless taunting. “We both possess this watch that gives us the ability to be invisible in short bursts. Makes it easier to back-stab our enemies.”

Then he pulled out a cigarette case and suddenly he looked just like her.

“That’s incredible.” She murmured eyes widening at the watch. 

“Indeed.” Spy stated with a pleased grin. It was strange watching herself talk to her. In her voice he explained, “This is my disguise kit. I can turn into anyone I see and trust me when I say, that it is very difficult to tell the difference between me and who I disguise myself as.” 

“Will I get one of those?” She asked innocently.

Spy broke out into a full laugh. His shoulders shook and a few snorts escaped his mouth. Lisa’s face burned with embarrassment. 

“It was just a question. It’s not that funny.” She backtracked.

“Honhonhon!” He laughed wiping a tear away before straightening.  
“No. You will never receive one of these. They are for spy’s only.” He said closing the kit and his form returning to his original.

Her lips puckered into a disgruntled pout.  
“Well…what about the Invisi-watch thing? If I’m pretending to be you, that could be handy.”

He rolled his eyes.  
“It is not a toy. It is highly advanced technology that you have not been trained to use.”

“Is that a no?” She questioned noticing he had not answered her.

“Non. It is a maybe. Later when you work with the Engineer, he will clarify more for you. I am not sure what all will be available to you.” He admitted.

“So, it’s a possibility then.” She stated feeling elated at the thought of being able to turn invisible or turn into another person.

“If I had to wager, it will probably be the invisiwatch. Not my disguise kit.” He replied sounding annoyed with the conversation.

“That’s…so amazing.” She grinned widely.

“Mmm. Oui. It is.” He said sounding bored before coming at her again.

She brought her arm up and successfully blocked one swing and he swiftly grabbed her braid and yanked her head back.  
“AH!” She yelped, tears coming to her eyes as he quickly won the match.

“I would consider cutting that mop of hair you have. Or at least putting it up in a position so your enemies cannot take advantage of it.” Spy advised adjusting his suit.

Lisa touched her braid conscientiously. She’d always hated her hair. It was thick, curly and unruly. She hated when other people touched it or commented on it. She nodded quietly and quickly undid the braid before gathering the damp knot of curls and tying into a bun on top of her head.

“Better?” She asked gesturing to her head.

“What do you think?” He shot back.

“Ummm…better? I guess.” She mumbled.

He nodded and they resumed training.  
She could not seem to last more than two rounds against him. She would block successfully and then just as the elation of lasting more than two moves against him would rise, she’d find herself incapacitated. He swept her legs from under her. Got her in arm locks. He even just pushed her, and she fell. Her hopes of surviving this place and seeing her grandparents was dwindling more and more with each passing failure. 

Finally, she collapsed to the ground one last time after being kicked in the chest. She lay there heaving as her breath came in soft wheezes. It wouldn't shock her if he had caused internal bruising or possibly cracked a rib. She fought back tears as the pain washed over her in waves.

Spy looked unbothered. She blinked through tears to see him standing, regarding her apathetically. 

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it casually before saying, "This is enough for today."

Lisa winced and rose to her knees with a soft gasp of pain before saying, "No...I'm fine. We can keep going."

"You misunderstand me." Spy said his gaze cold and steely. "I have seen enough."

She gritted her teeth before taking a deep breath and demanding, 

"What do you mean by that?"

Spy inhaled from his cigarette and blew out a soft plume of smoke. 

"Exactly what I said. I bid you adieu...and hope for your sake, that your skills improve quickly."

Once Spy was out of sight, Lisa let out the groan she'd been holding in. She shakily rose to her feet, one arm protectively holding the injured side of her abdomen. She walked with a slight limp and held in her tears. The trudge to Medic was excruciating. She just hoped he could heal her in time for her next meeting with Engie. She arrived at the intimidating swinging doors to the Med bay and winced as the pain shot through her torso again. 

"M-Medic?!" She called.

There was some shuffling from inside the room before she heard Medic's voice answered, "Ja?"

"I'm sorry to be a bother...I got roughed up training with Spy and think-" She stopped at another shooting pain before taking a deep breath to finish. "I think he may have bruised a rib? Or something?"

The doors swung open and there stood Medic. He was covered in blood and shot her a crazed smile that she guessed was supposed to be comforting.

"Yes. Come in, come in. I will take a look." He ushered her in.

"I have to meet with Engie soon...so I was hoping to get looked at quickly before heading over there." She winced again and Medic noticed.

"Zhese things cannot be rushed. I am sure zhe Engineer will understand. Sit on the examination table, would you?" He stated with a wave of his hand as he walked to the other side of the room.

She hopped onto the table with a wince as her torso flared with pain. She let out a soft, pathetic whine as her vision went white with pain. She remembered this pain. A rib was definitely broken. 

'Must've been when elbowed her in the side earlier.' She thought to herself.

Her attention was brought away from the pain when Medic placed a pair of cold hands on her shoulders.

"Fraulein...are you having a hard time breathing?" He inquired. 

She opened her eyes and took a breath before wincing and saying, "I think he cracked a rib...on my left side."

Medic removed her vest, moving her as minimally as possible before feeling along her sides. He pushed experimentally on her left where the pain was most intense and she let out a pained gasp and cried out.

"Hmmm...yes, it does seem like it is fractured. It is good you came to me. The Medigun should heal any bruising or fracturing that may have occurred. Should it have been completely broken or punctured a lung...well, that would be trickier. Probably requiring surgery." He surmised motioning for her to lay on the table.

He adjusted the Medigun to hover over her and she was quickly encompassed by a beam of light. The pain in her torso subsided to a soft thrum before fading completely. She took a deep breath and sighed in relief when the pain was no longer there. She sat up, and felt the left side to find it perfectly fine.

"Everything should be in order. If there is nothing else, you should be fine to go to the Engineer." Medic informed her as he filled out a piece of paper. "Just sign this form for records, please."

She signed her name at the bottom of the form and stood up. As she pulled on her vest, Medic asked her,

"I must admit I am curious...how did you know you had fractured a rib?"

She paused at his question, before finishing the clasps on her vest and turning to him with her award winning smile. 

"It was the relative area I was feeling pain. Spy and I were sparring and he elbowed me pretty hard there. I just assumed he had either bruised or cracked my ribs." She lied.

Medic appraised her silently. His blue eyes were stern...almost cold in their scrutiny. They brightened, their mood changing swiftly before exclaiming cheerfully,

"Zhat explanantion will suffice...for now. Off you go! If you need anything else, or just have a surgery performed on you for fun, please let me know!"

Unsure of what he meant by that and not wanting to stay to be a guinea pig, Lisa rushed off to find Engie. 

She entered Engie's workshop just on time.

“Ah, hey there Back-Up! Ya ready to work with me for a bit?” Engineer asked jovially carrying a red toolbox on his shoulder passing by her and shooting her a bright smile.

“Yeah. I think so.” She responded watching him set the box down across the room. 

“Today, I’ll be teaching you about how you will fill your roles when that teammate is in re-spawn and all the goodies that come with it. I’ll be able to teach you all the ins and outs to this tech. Just be open minded and I’m sure you’ll catch on quick.” 

Lisa appreciated his optimism before frowning as a thought occurred to her. 

“So, I had a queston…” Lisa started, testing the waters to see if Engie was more patient than Spy.

“What’s your question, Backup?” He asked cheerfully with a smile.  
His southern charm put her at ease, and she continued.

“It’s about the respawn machine. Whenever we die…no matter what we die of…we can be revived, right?” Lisa asked for clarification.

“Yup. Medic can cure most wounds, but some injuries are so severe that even he struggles to help. That’s where re-spawn comes in.” Engie nodded.

“Right…that technology is incredible, and I appreciate it. Trust me, I do. I’ve died…a lot today. Which is a weird thing in and of itself to say. But…” She trailed off unsure if she should say what was bothering her. 

“But?” Engie prompted.

“Are we too…blasé about it?” She questioned quietly feeling like she should not have spoken. “What if one day it doesn’t work, and we decide to train together and one of us takes it too far and we accidentally kill our team-mate? I just-It’s great tech. Amazing. A feat of human ingenuity, but maybe we should be trying to stay alive more? I don’t know. I’m new to this, maybe I just don’t understand.”

She fiddled with her fingers nervously as Engie was quietly listening next to her as they walked.

“I can understand your hesitance regarding it. Very few people are ever excited at the prospect of dyin’ durin’ simple tasks…or in general I’d reckon. But I check on that machine myself…and often. It’s workin’ fine. There’s no need to be worried ‘bout it. Plus, we have Medic. He can get just about any one right as rain in no time.” Engie replied patting her arm comfortingly.

“Oh ok. Well, as long as your certain. You are the expert after all.” She said with a small grin trying to feel as assured as he looked. She still felt guilty about using such an amazing piece of technology so freely. The many thousands of people that could benefit from this machine…and here she was. Dying trying to rocket jump...then people were dying of incurable illnesses. Or fighting wars. She quickly dug her nails into her hand to halt the negative thought process and focus on something else. 

“Course! I promise, if anythin’ seemed strange with it, I’d let ya’ll know.” He reassured her.

She tore her attention away from where her hand had left crescent shapes in the other and to him and shot him a smile.  
“That makes me feel a little better.”

“Good.” He nodded before opening the doors to the staircase to his workshop. He held it open for her.

“After you, Miss.”

She thanked him and walked through. It was nice that at least one of these men treated her like a lady.  
Engie’s work area was clean. Blueprints were laid out neatly, or posted on a wall in the corner. The smell of diesel filled the air and Lisa noticed some black scorch marks on the ground in a few places. Failed inventions no doubt. Engie had walked ahead of her and was waiting for her at the table in the middle of the room. She felt sheepish for being caught gawking and shuffled over quickly. 

“Set your bag on the table, please.” Engie said gesturing to the table in front of him.

She did as she was told and set it down.

Engie opened it up and then walked to a different side of the workshop and picked up a large metal box. 

“I will be showin’ you your weapons and getting them synced with the machine. As Miss Pauling said, out of matches these weapons will be in a special area of the training room for you. First things first, when you fill my role. You’ll have this.”

He placed a welding gun in her hands.

“A welding gun…fantastic…” She said with a forced smile of confusion.

“I know you were expectin’ a weapon. But you already have one of the weapons I have. A pistol. I also get a shotgun but you can’t carry more on the battlefield, it’ll slow you down especially trying to fill the role of Spy or Scout.” Engie explained grinning at her perplexed face.

“Oh…gotcha.” She said looking at the welding gun in her hand and turning it around to inspect it.

“Spies tend to be the worst thing for my poor sentries.” Engie said patting a red metal case next to him. “They’re one of the few things that can actually take my machines down once they’re up. You shouldn’t have to worry much. Pyro usually takes out the Spy before he can get to us. But on the slim chance he makes it past pyro…take ‘im out. Then defend the machines that are still up. There are three. The dispenser, the teleporter and the sentry. Teleporter is self explaining. You jump on one and pop out on the other. The dispenser gives out health kits and ammo boxes. Just in case Medic’s not near by or you’re runnin’ low on ammunition.”

Lisa nodded as he sent the welding gun through the mini teleporter in her bag.

He then pulled out a handheld flame thrower.

He handed it to her, and she flipped it around and aimed it experimentally, unsure of what it really was before it was snatched from her hand.

“Whoa now! Glad to see you’re excited but don’t try that thing in here!” Engie said quickly sending it through the teleporter. “That’s your flame thrower. Pull the trigger and aim. Anyone in front of you will end up charred more than a Texas barbeque.”

Lisa’s face scrunched in disgust at the imagery Engie had presented as he reached for a few more items.

“Here are some medi-kits.” Engie informed before setting a disconcerting item on the table.

“What in God’s name is that?” Lisa questioned horrified by the object in front of her.

“Syringe gun.” Engie stated casually while patting it.

“It shoots…needles at people.” Lisa asked for clarification eyeing the weapon with apprehension.

“Yup…syringes. They’re big so they hurt like a mother heifer, but they get the job done. If they don’t go down because of somethin’ vital bein’ hit, they’re filled with poison…so either way they’re toast.”

Lisa gulped and nodded.

Engie put that one in the backpack and sent it away as well.  
A small shot gun was placed on the table.

“Thought you said a shot gun would slow me down.” She mentioned picking it up and observing the strange weapon.

“Mine would for sure. This is one of Scout’s older weapons. It’s like a mini shot gun. Good for clearin’ a path to run through in a hurry.” Engie explained before Lisa handed it back for him to add to the growing collection of the bag’s teleporter.

He then hoisted a weapon up on to the table and Lisa’s eyes widened further.

“This is a MINI mini machine gun. Sorta like Heavy’s Sasha but smaller and doesn’t fire as many rounds per minute.” Engie educated.

“If this is the mini mini gun then how big is Sasha?” Lisa gaped.

“One hundred fifty kilograms.” Engie answered without flinching.

Lisa’s mouth opened and shut. She couldn’t seem to find words.  
“Yeah. Around three hundred and thirty pounds if you’re using imperial units. Quite a bit more than what you weigh which is why you have the much smaller model.” Engie chuckled.

“Goodness.” Lisa muttered watching him shoved part of it into the bag before it teleported away.

“Yup. Heavy really loves Sasha. So, don’t go callin’ her fat or nothin’.” Engie teased as he walked to another area of the shop.

“Yeah. No problem. I’d rather not poke the bear.” Lisa nodded nervously.

“Alright. Here is another smaller version of another teammate’s weapon. This is a smaller version of Soldier’s rocket launcher.” Engie said laying it out for her to observe. 

“The rockets are smaller and there’s far less kickback. Ya won’t be able to rocketjump but I figure that’s something only Soldier will be able to accomplish anyways.” He told her adding that one to the bag.

“Yeah…he tried to teach me earlier. It didn’t go well.” Lisa shuddered.

“I reckon.” Engie nodded grinning. “Saw ‘im in the mess hall earlier. Seemed disappointed he couldn’t teach you how to do that, but he was impressed by the number of push-ups you managed to pump out.”

“Before almost dying of heat stroke?” Lisa chuckled.

“Yeah, before that.” Engie replied in good humor. “He went on and on about how he saved your life by dumping water on ya.”

“Yeah…his heart was in the right place at least.” Lisa nodded in bewildered amusement.

“He means well.” Engie agreed before walking off to gather a few more items. 

“Alright. Here’s a stash of grenades.” He said dumping a generous portion into the bag, nearly dropping one. 

“Whoops. That wouldn’t have been good.” He chuckled unbothered as he caught it and threw it in. “Demo wants to teach you the art of being a demolition expert…when he’s a little more sober that is.”

“Is he ever sober?” Lisa questioned.

“Not in the time I’ve known ‘im.” Engie replied. “There are moments he’s less drunk than others. When you met him, he was on the more sober side. I think it’s because he was too distracted by the card game to drink.”

“Oh alright.” She replied fighting feelings of unease regarding drunkenness.

“He’s nothin’ to worry about unless you’re his enemy. Not an aggressive drunk. More emotional actually.” Engie told her as searched through a drawer.

“You’re kidding.” Lisa muttered a grin spreading over her face.

“Nah. He was cryin’ one day about bein’ a giant, black, Scottish cyclops.” Engie said throwing her a grin as he continued to rifle through drawers searching for something. “He quickly recovered by tellin’ us all off and talkin’ ‘bout how he could take every one of us out if he wanted to even without two eyes.”

“Ah. Found it.” He stated holding up a watch.

“Is that the Invisi-watch?” Lisa gasped excitedly.

Engie smirked at her excited expression.

“I figure Spy told ya about this, huh?”

“Yeah!” Lisa nodded leaning closer to get a better look.

“Alright, so you just turn the side right here. You’ll be invisible for up to ten seconds, then it will drop and you can reuse it again in a bit.” Engie said letting her hold it.

She held it gingerly as if it might break in her hands.  
“Ten seconds?”

He nodded.

“It needs to recharge. If it allowed you to be invisible longer, it may die half way through a match and that would be no good.”

Lisa nodded in understanding before reluctantly handing it back to him to place in the teleporter.

“I’m forgettin’ somethin’.” Engie muttered to himself tapping his fingers on the metal table in front of him.

“Sniper?” Lisa guessed.

He snapped his fingers and shook one in her direction before looking around. He hurried to a corner and lifted a sniper rifle and proceeded to blow the dust off of it.

“It’s old but it’ll do. Ya don’t get a scope which will make sniping difficult, but it does have an iron sight which can help a bit. With practice I think you’ll do just fine. Besides, Sniper doesn’t get taken out often unless the Spy finds where he’s hiding.” He stated settling the old gun in the bag.

Lisa nodded and bit her lip before asking,  
“What’s he like? The Sniper?”

Engie clipped her bag closed while saying,  
“Real mysterious fella who likes to be alone. He lives outside in his camper van. He doesn’t talk much but when he does, it’s usually something surprisingly astute. Very sarcastic too. Your first impression of him was pretty much who he is. Don’t let ‘im intimidate ya too badly. We were all new to this at some point. We’ll help ya get to where ya need to be.” 

He then handed her the backpack.

“One last thing, your items will respawn with you. So don't worry 'bout lookin' for 'em. I think you’re all set. We’ll start tomorrow on seein’ how savvy ya are with mechanics.”

Lisa sagged with relief knowing she wasn’t going to be tested anymore today.  
“Alright. Sounds good.”

“Yeah. Was gonna maybe try to show ya some things tonight but ya look ready to drop dead.” He sympathized.

“Yeah…sorry. Spy’s session was…rough.” She grimaced shouldering her backpack on.

“Why don’t ya go get a bite to eat and rest up for tomorrow? Meet me after breakfast and we can go over some basic machine maintenance.” Engie suggested kindly.

“That sounds like a great idea.” She murmured tiredly. “I have to sweep out my room and dust it. Then I’ll shower and hit the hay. Been a long day.”

“I can imagine.” Engie said kindly. “Just get some rest, Backup.”

“Attention RED, mission begins in twenty-four hours.” The voice of an older woman Lisa didn’t recognize boomed over the speakers.  
Lisa blanched.

“Does that mean-“

Engineer looked grim as he gazed at her.  
“If I were you, I’d meet me before breakfast tomorrow so you can practice as much as ya can with me and your new weapons with whoever else is willing.” 

Lisa nodded swallowing her fear before saying,  
“Right. See you at dawn.” 

She then turned on her heel so he wouldn’t see the panic in her eyes.

(At the Administrator's Base)  
Miss Pauling nervously stood in the background as the Administrator haggled with the man on the phone. This had gone on for all of last night up to now. Haggling back and forth. Threats and promises. All of her research on Lisa Fournier’s grandparents had showed that they were just you’re typical everyday Canadians. She should’ve looked closer. She could lose her job for this…or worse…

“I understand, Mr. Rossi. Your concern for your grandchild is admirable. However, consider the benefits. She gains invaluable experience. As I have told you before…she is compensated handsomely for her services. If you are willing to continue with this arrangement, I will pay you to keep this our secret. When her contract runs out, she can come back to you. She will have invaluable leadership and team skills that she can bring to your…family business.”

The older woman released a puff of smoke before casually throwing a large number at the man on the other side of the line and Miss Pauling’s eyes widened at the amount.  
“I am certain, Mr. Rossi. This will stay between us. You may send your granddaughter gifts and letters through my contact. No weapons. I don’t need Mann Co. finding out about her connection with you. That would end poorly for the both of us. No visitation is allowed to the base she is stationed in, but she does receive most major holidays observed in America off to do as she pleases. During this time, she may travel home. There is a payphone that she is allowed to use to make phone calls. She is not allowed to discuss anything she sees or hears at her job so do not ask her. Company policy, you understand. Does this sound reasonable, Mr. Rossi?”

There was some speaking on the other end of the line that Miss Pauling could not make out but based on the Administrator’s reaction, he had agreed to the deal.  
“Wonderful. I’m glad we could come to an agreement. Good evening, Mr. Rossi.” The old woman stated ending the call with a click.

Miss Pauling’s heart leapt into her throat. Fear clawing it’s way into her mind.

The Administrator handed the phone out to her lazily before taking another deep breath of her cigarette.

Miss Pauling quickly took it and rambled,  
“Administrator. I am so sorry! I didn’t know. I promise, this won’t happen aga-“

“Quit your rambling, Miss Pauling. It doesn’t suit a woman of your position.” The old woman replied in a bored tone as she released a small puff of smoke.

Miss Pauling quickly shut her mouth as the boney old woman in front of her continued,  
“I had the suspicion that Miss Fournier’s family was involved in the mafia. It may come as a surprise to you, but I have known of Lisa and her family for quite a long time. Very prolific family in the underground world…or so I was told.”

Miss Pauling was shocked. She never would have suspected.

“It seems they have sheltered their granddaughter from this aspect of their business…heavens knows why. Counter-intuitive to keep your heir in the dark about the family business for so long in my opinion. But no matter…she’s ours now.” The Administrator sighed tapping her cigarette on the nearby coffee cup. “Let us hope…she has as much potential as I think she does.”

A disconcerting red smile stretched across the woman’s face as she tapped a red button and leaned into a microphone.

“Attention RED. Mission begins in twenty-four hours.”

She released the red button before tapping a blue button and saying,

“Attention BLU. Mission begins in twenty-four hours.”

Author’s note: Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long. Was having trouble getting Spy’s character down but here it is! Please leave a comment. It helps me write and it really encourages me. Hope you all enjoyed it and have a great day!


	9. The First Match

(Montreal, Quebec).

“Good evening, Mr. Rossi.”

The older man heard the woman hang up her end of the line and he let out a deep sigh.

“Ya didn’t believe a word of that rubbish, did ya boss?” Came Vincent’s voice over the phone.

“Course not, Vinnie. But we gotta play this real discreet.” Anthony replied as his mind hurriedly put together a plan.

“Vinnie? I think you know what I’m about to ask of you.” He said blue eyes looking to a family photo hanging in the hall.

He could practically see Vinnie smile on the other side of the phone.  
“Don’t need to ask twice, boss. I’m on it.”

The line hung up.

(The Next Day in New Mexico) 

Lisa’s eyes blinked blearily as the sound of a trumpet broke the peaceful silence of the early morning. Lisa recognized it as ‘Le Reveil’, despite the ear grating way the performer stumbled over notes.

‘La Reveil’, a military bugle call to signal dawn.’ Lisa thought idly to herself as her eyes slowly sank shut as she started to give in the exhaustion that had creeped into her bones. 

‘THE DAWN!’ 

Her eyes shot open and she hurriedly got out of bed and put on her uniform. She was thankful that despite everything she had been through with her clothes that they did not smell thanks to respawn. She would have to ask someone about getting more later. She shoved her vest over her shirt as she ran through the halls to make it to Engie’s work area. The bugle was still playing loudly in the background as she hurriedly made her way through building. The suns rays painted the walls orange and gold through the windows. She shuffled down the stairs as quickly as her legs could carry her. She saw sparks flying in the corner and Engie hunched over some project. He looked to be welding something. Lisa’s hand went up to her hair and she realized to her horror that she forgot to tie it back. She quickly reached in her pockets to pull out a hair binder before hurriedly threw the curls back into a sloppy ponytail.  
The sound of welding stopped and Engie turned to her before lifting his welding face shield up and throwing her a grin, “Mornin’, Backup! Sleep well?”

“Well as I could. Thank you for asking. How about you? Did you sleep alright?” Lisa asked in return.

“I don’t sleep much, Backup. Got too much work to do, but it was mighty kind of ya to ask.” He said with a small smile as he put away some of his tools.

Lisa furrowed her eyebrows at that but before she could comment on his wellbeing, he clapped his hands together and exclaimed,  
“Right! Let’s get to it. You and I are gonna talk about this here equipment.” He said gesturing to an intimidating tall weapon with pronged legs. Two machine guns jutted out and at the top there looked to be a box with four black circles…sensors maybe? 

“This here is a sentry. If you couldn’t tell…it’s essentially a really big gun. It tracks nearby enemies and automatically targets them, makin’ all our jobs a heck of a lot easier.” He informed Lisa with an almost boyish grin as he patted the gun proudly.

“It only targets enemies?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry your head about it shootin’ you. It’s the blue sentry ya gotta be worried about.” He replied with a small shrug.

“The…blue sentry?” Lisa asked confused.

“Yeah…” The Engineer answered sounding confused. “Ya know? We’re RED…the other team is BLU.”

“Oh, right…” Lisa stated embarrassed but slightly confused. “Not to sound stupid but…the BLU team has the same equipment as us?”

“Yeah darlin’. They look just like us too. Did…Did Pauling not tell you this?” Engie asked slowly.

“Sorry. I know I sound really stupid.” Lisa said a blush warming her face. 

“No, ya don’t sound dumb. I’m just surprised Pauling didn’t tell ya.” Engie said raising his hands placatingly.

“She explained that there is RED amd BLU and the history behind that. She never said that they have the same equipment or anything…there’s a gravel war or something and that’s why we are fighting each other. Spy mentioned that there’s an enemy Spy. So…do they have the same jobs too? Like a Spy for a Spy?” Lisa grinned at her dumb joke before it quickly fell as Engie took off his helmet and scratched his head.

“Uh…well…almost correct. The BLU team has the same careers as we do…like an Engineer, or a Spy. However…they kinda…ARE us?” Engie said steepling his fingers in front of him as he waited for Lisa to process what he said.

“They ARE us? What does that mean?” Lisa demanded.

“They’re…clones of this team.” Engie stated plainly.

Lisa blinked a few times as she heard what he said but being unable to fully understand.  
“What? So…I’m going to see you guys out there later…just in the color blue?” 

“That’s the long n’ short of it, yeah.” Engie nodded.

“So, I’m going to see myself out there too?”

“Ya shouldn’t. Somehow the other team has been able to collect DNA from all of us here. We dunno how. Miss Pauling said she’d be gettin’ us another teammate and bringin’ em in as quiet as she could. I suppose if ya aren’t well known in the mercenary world that’s a bonus. I doubt they have any info on ya. They somehow always manage to make a clone. I’d say we have a few weeks at the most before they forcibly try to extract DNA.” Engie said offhandedly walking across the room to his toolbox.

“Forcibly-What?!” Lisa stammered following him.

“I wouldn’t worry. Ya got us and BLU has only infiltrated us outside of the matches a few times. One of those times, our Medic killed the BLU Spy and kept his head alive for weeks before we finally told ‘im to end his misery. Haven’t had an infiltration since then.” Engie said opening the red box and organizing the tools inside.

“Right…” Lisa nodded shaking a little. 

“Alright. Before I show ya my machines, I guess I gotta explain the matches a bit better. Seems like Pauling missed those details.” Engie said closing his box and walking over to his work bench and pulling up a stool. He then walked over to a coffee machine in the corner and began brewing it.

Lisa hesitantly walked up to the stool and sat on it.

“Ya like coffee? Sorry, I don’t have any sweeteners down here. I typically just drink it black.” Engie offered.

“I’m alright but thank you.” Lisa replied to his kind offer.

He shrugged before looking through his cabinet and selecting a mug,  
“Suit yourself.” 

Engie milled about his workshop as the smell of strongly brewed dark coffee filled the air. The earthy scent reminded Lisa of her grandfather and she felt a soft pang of sadness. He liked his coffee dark too. Every morning he had a cup of black coffee with a biscotti.  
“Alright. So, this match is happenin’ at 2Fort. It’s the smallest field we got, so you should learn pretty quickly. I’ll have you stick with me during this match as much as possible so you can get a better understandin’ of everythin’. Though, there’s not much I can do if Scout or someone more offensive dies and ya gotta fill his shoes. You’ll end up a lot farther in the field than where I usually am.”

Lisa nodded rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants.  
“For Teufort, the main objective is to take the BLU’s briefcase of information. Same for them. We have a briefcase that will sit in the Intelligence room on the table. Big briefcase in the color of the team, can’t miss it.”

“What’s in the briefcase?” Lisa asked.

Engie shrugged.  
“Dunno. We always keep the briefcase until Miss Pauling can come get it.”

“So…do we know what the BLU team does with it?” Lisa questioned.

Engie paused what he was doing for a second and said,  
“Ya know? I really don’t have an answer for that one. We give ours to Miss Pauling but I’m not sure what BLU does with our briefcase.” 

“Maybe that’s how they keep getting our DNA and your blueprints?” Lisa suggested.

“It’s possible but that would require someone to be makin’ copies and I keep mine as secure as I can. Who knows what that Spy is doin’ when he takes me out on the field…he might be getting info on my weapons while they’re down and relaying it to the BLU Engineer.” Engie muttered to himself as he poured himself a mug of steaming coffee.

“Well…I don’t want anything to happen to you, but if you’re down. I’ll do my best to protect your creations.” Lisa said mustering a grin that was much more confident then she felt.  
“Thank you, Backup.” Engie replied with a grateful smile. 

The rest of the morning was spent with Engie explaining the map of 2Fort and the equipment she’d see on the field. He showed her some basic maintenance she’d be able to do with her welding gun to keep a couple of the machines up if they took a hit. As the morning rolled on, Engie’s informative lecture was interrupted by Lisa’s stomach grumbling loudly.  
“Heaven’s sakes, Backup. It’s past lunch time. Why didn’t ya tell me you were hungry?” Engie admonished ushering her away from the sentry.

“Sorry, Engie. I guess I was just really focused on what you were saying.” Lisa replied rubbing her neck in embarrassment at her stomach’s loud disapproval earlier.

“When was the last time ya ate?” Engie questioned. 

“Ummm…I went back to my room and cleaned it some more after we talked last night and then fell asleep. I woke up late this morning, so I missed breakfast.” Lisa said thinking out loud.

Engie’s hand on her arm tightened as he practically dragged her to the dining hall.  
“Backup, I’m gonna tell ya what my ma told me growin’ up. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Ya can’t just go skippin’ meals. Saints alive! Did you even eat dinner last night?!” 

Lisa shook her head mute as Engie dragged her faster.

“No wonder you’re thin as a rail. We’ll put some meat on those bones don’t you worry none.”

Lisa shook her head in amusement. He sure could try. Her grandma sure had but she’d always been scrawny. She’d come to accept that she would never be a voluptuous beauty like her grandmother had been at her age. Then a thought occurred to her.  
“Engie…I didn’t see you eat any breakfast today either.”

Engie shook his head as they finally arrived in the empty dining area.

“Don’t ya start with me, missy. We are talkin’ ‘bout you and your determination to die of starvation.” 

“How about this…I’ll eat lunch if you eat too.” Lisa suggested firmly as she watched Engie search the fridge for something to cook with.

“Darn. There ain’t much in here. There’s some eggs. Ya want eggs?” Engie asked ignoring her question.

“I can make my own food, Engie. You don’t have to.” Lisa snorted in disbelief.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe ya. Skippin’ almost a full day worth a’ meals.” Engie grumbled.

“How many eggs are there?” Lisa asked.

“Four.” Engie said setting the carton on the counter next to him. 

Lisa walked over to the counter and grabbed a loaf of RED bread.  
“I can make eggs and toast. How do you like your toast?” 

Engie was quiet for a moment before sighing and saying,  
“Your gonna make me eat with ya aren’t ya?”

“Not taking no for an answer.” Lisa affirmed as she plugged in the toaster sitting on the counter. 

“Fine. You win. But don’t expect this to be an everyday thing. I got too much work to do to be sittin’ around.” Engie complained while pulling up a chair while Lisa found a pan and began to fry eggs.

Lisa chuckled.  
“NOW who’s trying to die of starvation?”

Engie shook his head and gave a humored chuckle along with her before patting his slightly rounded stomach.  
“I don’t think I’ll be starvin’ anytime soon, Backup.”

Lisa shook her head with an amused grin and before too long, a simple meal of eggs and toast lay before them. They both ate contentedly as Engie quizzed her over some of the basic machinery. She stumbled over a couple things but was proud that she had retained most of what he had said even if it was the most basic parts of machine maintenance.  
After finishing lunch, the next couple hours flew by. Engie continued to teach and drill her on facts and she did her best to keep up.  
As she was learning to weld a piece of metal, Scout burst in through the doors. Startled, she nearly burned herself and Engie quickly snatched the welding gun from her.  
“Son, what have I told ya ‘bout knockin’?” Engie grumbled as he set the welding gun down and turned to look at Scout. 

Lisa stood from where she had been kneeling on the ground and brushed off the dirt from her pants.

“It’s almost time to head out. But we got a situation…” Scout stated while rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

“What’s the problem?” Engie said checking the time on the wall.

“So…we usually take the van and Sniper drives his campa’. It’s jammed in the back of da van when all of us go…”

“Just spit it out, son.” Engie sighed exasperatedly.

“Ok! Ok! What I’m tryna say is dat all us guys are not comfortable with being crammed with a woman. Alright? It’s not…proper.” Scout rushed out in a single breath his face flushing. 

“Proper? And since when do you care about “proper”?” Engie asked annoyance lacing his voice.

Scout’s shoulders tensed defensively.

“’Ey! The other guys aren’t happy with the idea either. Doesn’t look good for a lady to be in close quarters with so many men.” 

Engie crossed his arms and calmly asked,  
“Who else would be seein’ her in the truck? Or are ya sayin’ that ya’ll can’t be trusted around a woman?”

Scout floundered grasping.  
“No! NO! We would never hurt her…we just aren’t comfortable with her- “

“Being in close quarters with ya.” Engie finished.

“Right…yeah.” Scout then seemed to notice Lisa behind Engie and flustered said,  
“No offense, Backup! We just don’t think it’s proper.”

“Why did no one ask me what I think would be proper?” Lisa questioned her head tilting and eyes narrowing. “I mean…if I’m part of the problem, maybe I should be involved with finding the solution.”

Lisa ignored the anger swelling in her chest and pushed those memories down. 

Scout did not seem to know what to say to that and his mouth opened and shut like a fish gasping for air.

“Next time there’s an issue surrounding me, I would like to be made aware. Please do not make decisions for me. This is supposed to be a team.” She answered slowly, even as an old fear raised its ugly head inside her heart. Her palms began to sweat, and she rubbed them on her pants. 

“Y-yeah. Sure. We will-uh, we’ll do that…next time.” Scout nodded looking to Engie for support.

“And…why can’t she be part of the process now?” Engie asked walking across the room to begin packing up his tools.

“Because…well, we have already decided what we should do.” Scout said before seeing the distressed look on Lisa’s face. “But-But next time we will involve you! Ok?”

“Right…” Lisa answered faintly as she struggled to get a grip. She shook her head as memories came unbidden to her mind. She walked over to her backpack sitting on a metal worktable not too far from them and gripped the edges of it for grounding. 

‘No…not now…you’ve done so well lately.’ Lisa thought desperately to herself. ‘Not now…’

“-don’t know. You ok with that, Backup?” Engie’s voice interrupted her reverie.

She opened her eyes and turned back to look at them.  
“Sorry, what? I…I zoned out for a second there.” 

Engie looked at her and she could not decipher the look on his face. Concern? Scrutiny?

Scout pulled her attention away from Engie.  
“You’re ridin’ wit’ Sniper in his camper van.”

Lisa’s eyes widened and her face went pale with disbelief.  
“What?”

“Yeah, ya know. Dat way you’re only with one guy instead of eight.” Scout nodded as if it was logical.

“How does that make any sense? It’s more proper for me to be on a road trip with one man alone in his camper van rather than eight men altogether in a company van?!” Lisa admonished as her face flushed with anger.

“Well…now dat ya put it dat way…” Scout replied sheepishly.

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.

“S-so, I came down ‘ere to tell ya that it’s time to go.” Scout stammered uncomfortably. 

“Is Sniper ok with this?” Engie intervened shouldering his large red toolbox.

“Uh-Yeah! Sure! He’s fine with this! In fact, it was his idea!” Scout exclaimed nervously. “Yep! One hundred percent his idea.”

“Scout.” Engie growled growing tired of his nonsense.

“Alright, fine! It wasn’t his idea. He didn’t wanna drive her. He said she would be fine in the van, but we played rock, paper, scissors and he lost so he gets to drive her.” Scout admitted. 

“…as in you and Sniper played rock, paper, scissors?” Engie asked for clarification.

“Yeah. What about it?” Scout affirmed.

“So…the other guys weren’t really in on this decision…” Engie stated.

Scout paled.  
“It mighta just been me…Spy and Demo sayin’ dat. Demo was mostly drunk and unaware of the conversation, but I think he’d agree.”

Engie opened his mouth to berate the foolish young man but Scout quickly glanced at the clock and exclaimed,  
“’ey! Would ya look at da time! Gotta go!”

With that, he ran off. 

Engie gave a frustrated sigh and looked at the small woman standing by his worktable. Her eyes were glossy, and her arms crossed defensively across her chest.  
“Hey, it’ll be alright, Backup. Sniper may not be the most personable, but you’ll be alright.” Engie comforted softly before an angry look took over his face. “I have half a mind to find that boy and beat some sense into him. Spy too for that matter. That wasn’t right of them makin’ a decision ‘bout ya without your knowledge.”

She sighed defeatedly and straightened her shoulders before grabbing her backpack and securing it on her shoulders.  
“It’s alright, Engie. I’m used to it.” She softly said the last part as almost a whisper under her breath.

Engie furrowed his brows at that, the statement not sitting right with him at all.  
“What’d ya mean by that?”

Lisa looked up from fastening her backpack startled very clearly not expecting him to have heard her.  
“I…I uh…I-“

Over the announcing speakers came the Administrators voice,  
“Mission begins in three hours.”

“We’d better go. I guess I’ll see you there, Engie.” Lisa exclaimed rushing out the door. 

Engie watched the woman’s fleeting form and sighed to himself. He made a mental note to ask at a better time. He shut off the light to his workshop and headed out.  
Lisa’s heart was racing as gripped the straps of her backpack for comfort. Her throat felt dry and itchy and between those terrible memories coming unbidden to mind and now having to face the team mate she believed hated her most besides Spy…she genuinely wished the earth would be merciful and swallow her whole then and there. It unfortunately did not as she headed outside to where she could see the company van being loaded up. Not too far from it, sat an old, rusty camper van. Leaning against the side of the van smoking a cigarette, his amber aviators reflecting the relentless New Mexico sun, stood Sniper. Everything about him intimidated Lisa. His tall lanky frame looked relaxed, but she knew if she gave the slightest indication that she was a threat…he would spring into action and she would be dead. She swallowed the lump in her throat and trudged towards the man. He glanced up at her as she neared, and she cursed the way his aviators hid his eyes. She stopped a good five feet away from him and gripped her backpack tightly. 

“I…I’m ready.” She informed him her voice shaking a bit and she cursed herself for stuttering.

He threw the cigarette on the ground and put it out with his boots.  
“’bout bloody time.” He grumbled lowly as the company van rumble away. “Get in.”

She quickly shuffled around the van to the passenger’s side where the door was already open. She gripped the handle and pulled herself up and settled into the seat as the engine stuttered to life. The interior was surprisingly clean. Everything neatly tucked away in its place. A mustached bobble head nodded as they drove down the sandy New Mexican roads. He did not say a word. Just quietly drove, focusing on the road ahead of him. Lisa hugged her backpack to her chest and gazed away from him and out the window. The desert all blended into one big beige blob. It never seemed to end. It was march and even though it was still cold up north and white snow still powdered the ground every so often, Lisa would choose that over this never ending heat and beige in a heartbeat. Cacti provided the occasional addition of color in the otherwise barren landscape. Lisa again shyly glanced at the stoic man sitting next to her. One large hand gripped the steering wheel and the other tapped a rhythm on his knee. Otherwise, there was nothing else. Lisa looked away again and turned to look out the window, trying desperately to distract herself from the awkwardness of the car ride…maybe it was just her. He seemed completely unaffected by the stifling tension in the small cab of the vehicle. 

Then he moved. Lisa’s head whipped back to him to watch him warily as his free hand went to the knob of his radio. Lisa winced as static came through and he searched for channels.  
Suddenly the static cleared, and an almost cartoonish voice came through on a channel exclaiming,  
“-begin Teufort’s monthly yodeling competition! As we all know, yodeling is a treasured tradition here in Teufort! I should know! I am the mayor after all! Contestant number one! You may begin!”

Lisa’s eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. What in the world…

“Aw, piss.” Sniper grouched trying desperately to change the channel or turn it off.

The noise that emerged from the speakers could only be described as a mix between a cat yowling and tires screeching on pavement. Lisa winced as the sound assaulted her ears and was relieved when Sniper finally got the thing turned off. 

“Sorry…not much to listen to around here.” Sniper mumbled as an apology, turning his eyes back to the road.

Laughter bubbled out from Lisa as the absurdity of it all hit her. In the past few days, her life had become utterly absurd…the yodeling competition was just the cherry on top.  
She wiped the tears from her eyes as she laughed and managed to choke out,  
“Oh, I don’t know. I think that was plenty.”

Sniper’s lips twitched in what may have been amusement, but Lisa was unsure. She wiped her eyes as the giggles slowly died down and she sighed and leaned back in the seat,  
“Thank you. I needed that.”

“Can’t really take credit for that. It’s an absurd tradition the looney’s in Teufort keep up.” He replied. 

“So, you didn’t mean to turn that on?” Lisa questioned still greatly amused.

“Absolutely not. I avoid anything Teufort as much as I can.” He stated firmly.

“Then, what were you looking for?” Lisa asked curiously.

Sniper paused for a bit before answering,  
“Occasionally I’m able to pick up a jazz station.”

“Oh, so you like jazz?” Lisa asked secretly happy to be getting anything from the man that wasn’t threats, grunts or grumbles.

“It’s better than that ruckus.” He scoffed.

“Is Teufort the nearest town to the base?”

He shot her a look before turning back to the road,  
“Yes, but never go there. Town full of bloody lunatics.”

“I assumed that after hearing their attempt at yodeling…and they do this monthly?”

“Like I said, town full of bogans. Stay away from there if ya know what’s good for ya.” Sniper said with finality.

Lisa nodded and settled back into her seat, not feeling quite as on edge as she was before. She was nervous about the match ahead. She knew Engie had her back, if she died, she’d be put in respawn. It’d be a few weeks before the team forcibly removed her DNA…they didn’t know she was coming.  
“Sniper…may I ask you something?” She asked as politely as she could.

He gave a short nod of his head before saying,  
“Depends what it is.”

“I wanted to know more about the match. Engie said they shouldn’t know I’m coming…or that I exist. He explained what their roles are and what I should look out for. But can you explain the layout? That way I know where I’m running? I know there’s a briefcase but…”

Sniper adjusted his seated position a bit and nodded,  
“Ya wanna know what to look for.”

“Yes…please. If you don’t mind.” Lisa said eyes cast downward as she fiddled with her bag.

Sniper shook his head and said,  
“Don’t mind tellin’ ya. Better ya know now than gettin’ there and costin’ us the match because ya didn’t know where to go.”

Lisa felt the weight of the situation settle in her gut but she put on a brave face and nodded giving him her full attention.  
“There are two buildings. RED and BLU, obviously. Ours is a wooden building and theirs is more metal…factory lookin’ guess you could say. The two buildin’s are separated by a bridge with a sewer beneath. The bridge has a tin roof and occasionally BLU Soldier or BLU Scout try to run along the top and drop on people who aren’t payin’ attention. If I’m alive…that won’t happen. I’ll gun ‘em down before they can even think about tryin’. There’s an entry to both buildings if you’re brave enough to swim through sewage.”

Lisa scrunched her nose at that.

“The Engineer plans on me staying near him unless someone more offensive goes down…which is fairly likely to happen. I don’t know Scout very well, but he seems reckless.”

Sniper snorted at that.

“You said you’re in the tower or typically somewhere high up, right?” 

He grunted in affirmation.

“So, you see everything that happens. I’m not wrong in thinking that Scout will be the first to go down.” She said looking at him.

“He’s fast. No one’s faster than a bullet though.” He said simply in reply.

“Right…” Lisa glanced at the bobble head still nodding with every jolt in the road. “How about you?”

His glasses caught the suns rays as he turned to her.  
“What about me?”  
His voice held a slight growl and Lisa backpaddled sensing danger.

“Not that you’d go down first…just that if you did…anything you want me to keep in mind? I’m-I’m not exactly a sniper.” 

“Not exactly a mercenary either, are ya?” Sniper shot back gripping the wheel tighter.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you’d go down first…that’s not what I meant.” Lisa said shrinking back behind her backpack and leaning back from him. 

The ride had grown quiet again and Lisa clutched her bag tightly to herself for comfort. Holding onto it as if it were a shield from the stewing man next to her. She glanced at him and he was still as usual. After a bit when his body’s tension slowly unwound, she mustered up the courage to speak again.

“I know most of you don’t like me much and that’s ok. You don’t have to like me. I’m not a skilled mercenary like any of you. You are all professionals…I’m a novice at best. I understand if you don’t want to help me…but I’d really appreciate any advice you could give me.”

The ride was quiet again and Lisa looked out the window again, realizing that this was probably a dead end. 

‘Nice, Lisa. You were finally getting him to talk and then you just had to go and insult him.’ She berated herself silently.

“Ya want advice?” He finally asked his voice still low.

“If you’re willing to give it.” She answered quietly, assessing the man next to her. 

“Try not to die.” 

Lisa’s shoulders slumped with defeat.

“Don’t know what your doin’ here. Don’t think you’ll be here long. But while you are…stay out of our way, yeah?” He intoned menacingly.

Lisa nodded and curled away from him as much as she could in the small seat.  
The rest of the ride to 2fort was awful. Lisa just clutched her bag tightly to her chest and kept her eyes glued to the scenery outside. As much as she hated it earlier…it was better than being stuck in the van with the man she was next to. He had not said a single word after. The heat in the van was stifling but Lisa was too afraid to ask him to turn on the air conditioning or roll down the windows. They took a turn down an unmarked dirt road and Lisa half wondered if Sniper was going to kill her and leave her body here to rot. Then out of the barren, rocky landscape rose two buildings. One wooden and one metal. The RED bread van was already parked under the wooden building and they were unloading everything. As soon as they parked, Lisa quickly unbuckled and exited the vehicle with a rushed ‘thank you’ to Sniper. She didn’t stay to see his reaction, wanting to be away from him as soon as possible. 

She saw Engie unloading the van with Pyro. She headed towards them and Pyro turned to her and fixed her a look with their dark mask.

“Umm…Hey. Do you both need help with that?” She asked nervously, having not met the Pyro personally yet.

“Oh, hey Backup.” Engie responded looking away from the box in the van and to her. “How was your ride?”

She threw a glance to the Sniper who was currently walking into the building with his rifle slung over his shoulder and his kukri hanging on his hip. 

“It was fine. What can I help with?” Lisa stated shortly glancing at the inside of the van.

“Mrrmphr wrrrrgh mrrr prrrnrr!” Pyro exclaimed.

Lisa startled,  
“What?”

“Pyro, I don’t think she wants to hold your-“ Engie started but was swiftly interrupted by Pyro shoving a very fluffy, bright pink, stuffed unicorn toy into Lisa’s arms.

“Oh…um…thank you?” Lisa responded holding the toy and looking at it. 

“Hrrrghhg krrn hrrrr trr frrr mrr hrr.” Pyro nodded enthusiastically.

“Said you can hold onto it until the match starts and you start to feel better.” Engie interpreted nonchalantly as he unloaded a large box from the van.

“Oh, that’s really sweet of you. But I feel fine. Really.” Lisa said attempting to return the toy.

Pyro fixed her with a determined look before pointing at the toy and going,  
“Kerr frrr brn trrrn.”

Then pointing back at her.  
“Nrn ermphermerms.”

“You hold the toy until the match starts. No exceptions.” Engie stated as he hoisted the large box onto his shoulder. Pyro nodded in agreement before picking up a large flamethrower and skipping into the wooden building. 

Engie then turned to look at her.  
“I’ve never seen Pyro share any of his toys before.”

Lisa studied the well-loved pink unicorn. The middle was bent a bit from being hugged so often but was otherwise well taken care of. The pink fur was still soft and fluffy and the horn sparkled brightly. 

“I will take good care of it until he needs it again.” Lisa spoke dutifully with a playful smile hugging it close and secretly reveling in its softness. If she was right…it smelled like strawberries. She looked at it closer and the back had small blue butterfly wings. She found herself smiling. 

“I have no doubt of that.” Engie chuckled shutting the doors to the van with Lisa’s help. 

“Let’s head inside and get ready. It should begin within the next half hour.” 

Lisa and Engie walked in the lower part of the building together. They closed the large metal door behind them, and Lisa saw a similar door facing the BLU’s building. It was larger than the one they had closed. Almost like a garage door. The area was filled with lockers and most of the mercenaries were placing items into them or laughing and joking with each other. 

“Follow me and I’ll show you the briefcase.” Engie said kindly patting her shoulder and walking ahead of her.

“Oh, and uh here. You’ll need this.” He said stopping and handing her a set of small ear pieces. “So, you can communicate with us.”

“Thanks.” She said placing them in her pocket for the time being. 

She followed him clutching the unicorn subconsciously as they passed the other mercs. 

“Heh! Nice toy, Backup. Nervous much?” Scout taunted as they passed by. Demo and Soldier snickered along with him.

“It’s Pyro’s. Gave it to her for safe keeping…unless you’d like to talk to Pyro yourself?” Engie offered turning to the snickering bunch.

Demo and Soldier suddenly seemed much more interested in their lockers and Scout paled.  
“No, no! No need!”

Engie nodded and said,  
“Come along, Backup.”

Lisa walked behind him down a couple of hallways and into a room. There was a large round, wooden table and on it sat a red, metal briefcase.

“Protect that with your life.” Engie stated very seriously before leaving the room motioning for Lisa to follow. 

Back in the locker area, everyone seemed to be polishing, sharpening or loading their weapons. Sniper sat on a bench not to far away sharpening his kukri. He looked up at her and Lisa quickly hurried after Engie. Engie arranged three red boxes on a bench and looked at her,  
“Remember what these are?”

“Dispenser, Sentry and Teleporter.” Lisa replied pointing each.

“Exactly right. You’re quick as a whip, you’ll do fine out there.” Engie said with a big grin.

Lisa hesitantly returned his confidence with a small smile. 

“Unless one of us dies and she actually has to do something useful. In which case I very much doubt she will be fine.” Spy commented as he passed by.

The smile quickly fell at that and her gaze was brought back to the unicorn in her arms.

Engie shot a look at Spy but was ignored. He went to say something but was interrupted by Pyro walking up behind Backup and patting her fluffy curls that poofed out in her ponytail.

Lisa jolted at the unexpected contact before turning and seeing Pyro fluffing her curls, clearly infatuated by them.  
“Oh, Pyro. Here’s your unicorn back. Thank you for letting me borrow it.” She said kindly and holding it out to him. 

Pyro’s attention was torn away from the curls and with a happy exclamation he snatched the unicorn from her. He hugged it close before giving her fluffy ponytail a few more pats and saying,  
“Huddah huddah.”

“Yeah, I reckon it’s almost time. Is your pistol loaded?” Engie asked her.

Lisa pulled out her gun and quickly loaded it.  
“Now it is.” She said as she turned the safety off.

“Good. Once the countdown is done, you stick with me, alright? Unless Scout decides to run directly into BLU heavy’s gunfire again.” Engie ended almost under his breath.

“Hey! Dat was one time!” Scout exclaimed in retaliation after loading his scattergun.

“One time too many more like.” Demo snarked before chuckling and taking a swig from a large brown bottle.

“It will be fine. We will see what leetle mouse is made of, da?” Heavy chuckled while picking up Sasha.

She threw him a smile she hoped looked more confident than she felt.

“Mission begins in thirty seconds.” Came the woman’s voice over the speakers.

“’ey! It’s show time!” Scout alerted excitedly running to stand in front of the garage doors facing the BLU’s base.

Spy rolled his eyes and adjusted the invisiwatch on his wrist before passing Backup and saying,  
“You are even more useless dead. Try to stay alive, would you?”

Lisa tried to ignore him but honestly felt extraordinarily discouraged. She was happy Engie believed in her. She was reminded of this when he patted her shoulder comfortingly and said,  
“Pyro will more than likely be with us the whole time. He’s the best against Spy’s.”

“Only because he sprays fire everywhere like a mad man.” Muttered Spy as he lit another cigarette.

“Mission begins in ten seconds.” The voice stated.

“Ach. Lass, you’ll do fine.” Demo stated giving her a firm slap on the back causing her to wince.  
“If anythin’, a man get’s too close to ya, kick ‘im in the-“

“THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!” The voice boomed over the speaker.

Immediately distracted by the metal door flinging open, Demo cried out loudly,  
“LEEEEEEEEET’S DO ITTTTTT!”

With that, most of the mercs ran out. Almost immediately, the air was filled with the sound of gunfire and explosions. 

“Come on, Backup!” Engie called already running down the hall and up a staircase.  
She raced after him, panic seizing her heart as the ground shook from explosions and the walls rattled. She stumbled up the stairs as she ran after Engie. She found Engie setting up the dispenser on a wooden landing so that it guarded the entrance beneath them. 

“Alright. Sentry goin’ up!” Engie shouted as the Sentry whirred to life and began to alternate back and forth, beeping and searching for enemies.  
“We got one more to set up. Let’s put the other one down on the lower level.”  
Engie told her as he ran down the stairs she had just run up. 

She caught her breath, glancing to the field below. The BLU Scout was making a run for the RED base from on top of the bridge. There was a resounding echo of a gunshot, and he fell dead into the water below before his body shimmered and disappeared. Lisa looked up and could just barely see the sun shining off the scope of Sniper's rifle. Suddenly another resounded and a whistle flew past her ear. With wide eyes, she looked at the wall next to her. A single bullet had splintered the wood wall neatly not two inches from her. She swallowed in shock and quickly ran in the direction Engie had gone, keeping her head low.  
She heard the tell-tale beeping of a sentry going up and followed it.

She went down the hallway and saw Engie pick up his dispenser and she shot her a grin.  
“Whoo! Thought you were a goner for a second.” 

“Yeah. Me too.” She replied pulling out her pistol and holding it at the ready.

“Alright. Let’s get this dispenser up and we should be good to go.” Engie said lifting the dispenser unit up.

“You already set up the teleporter?” She questioned.

“Yeah, set it up in here not too far from the sentry.” He replied jogging past her.

She jogged after keeping an eye out for…anyone really. Her finger was on the trigger and even though she wasn’t a good shot, she would do her best. For Engie and herself at the very least.

He quickly set up the dispenser by the entrance. 

“Alright. That’s that.” He turned his gaze to her. “Looks like no one has died yet. That’s good! The BLU’s Scout and Sniper are already in respawn from what I’ve heard.”  
“How do you know?” She asked.

He motioned to his ears where a single small earpiece was. 

“Oh, shoot.” She muttered embarrassed as she put them in.

“HA! Take that ‘Tons of fun’!” Scout’s voice taunted through the speaker. 

She grimaced and looked at Engie.

“You’ll get used to his jawin’. Come on. Let’s stay near that sentry in the hallway.” Engie advised heading that way.

As she passed through the corridors, she saw a way that headed lower.  
“Is that way towards the sewers?” 

“Yeah. Spy’s like to come outta there. Pyro is runnin’ ‘round here somewhere so I wouldn’t be too worried ‘bout that.” Engie said from further down the hallway.  
She stopped near Engie who was checking the teleporter to make sure they were in working order.  
“Everything’s goin’ fine.” He said with a smile before walking past her to check the sentry. “Smoother than I had hop-“

Suddenly, a small black box slid across the floor underneath the Sentry shocking it. The Sentry made a soft sound as it fizzled out.  
Engie reached for his gun while shouting into the comms.  
“SENTRY DOWN!”

Next thing Lisa knew, a shot had rung out and he lay dead at her feet. Blood began to pool beneath him from where he had been shot in the chest before his body shimmered and disappeared.

She shakily raised her gun and heard the sound of an invisi-watch uncloaking. The BLU Spy stood in the hallway in front of her.  
She trembled and heard a whirring noise from her backpack. Not risking going into her backpack to get her torch for the sentry just yet.

“Well…this is a surprise.” The Spy chuckled his revolver pointed at her. “Now, who might you be?”

Lisa panicked and shot a few rounds in at him. He dodged, the curve of the hallway protecting him.  
She quickly ducked into the room with the briefcase as he returned fire.  
She quickly reached up to her ear and pressed the button,  
“Pyro! I need your help. Engie’s down. I’m in the intelligence room.” 

“Wait! So, you’re sayin’ Backup needs backup?” Scout joked obnoxiously through the comms before bursting into hysterical laughter. 

A few laughs came in through the earpiece from other teammates before footsteps came down through the hall closer to her.  
She cursed to herself as she flattened herself against the wall.

“No use in hiding, Mademoiselle.” The Spy taunted as he came closer. “That introduction was not very lady like. You would agree, non?”

She put her gun away and quietly reached for the baton hanging on her hip.

“Why don’t we try that introduction again?” The Spy said as he stepped through the door.

She swung her baton for his face, but her wrist was grasped quickly by the Spy who twisted it causing her to drop the baton. She quickly found herself on the floor. The wind was knocked from her lungs and she gasped as she looked at the blue suited Spy standing over her. He effortlessly kicked the baton away from her hands and she watched helplessly as it slid across the floor. She quickly shuffled away from the Spy but found herself against a wall.

“Hm. I’m disappointed. I was hoping for a bit more of a fight.” He sighed in a bored tone as he walked closer. 

She reached for her gun but quickly found a knife at her throat. The tip pointed under her chin. He could easily kill her if he wanted to. His mouth was twisted in a sadistic smirk and his eyes narrowed at her. It reminded her of a cat playing with a mouse…oh God…Heavy was right. She was a little mouse. A little mouse compared to every single one of these men.  
“Now, that I’ve introduced myself. Tell me who you are.” He said a threatening lilt to his voice.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she felt the knife press harder against her throat. 

“You have two choices. You can tell me who you are, and I can make your death swift and…mostly painless, or you can bravely or should I say…foolishly, refuse and I will make your life until death a living hell.” He hissed, his cold eyes stormy and demanding.

“P-please…” She managed to gasp out before the knife was pressed again into her.

He laughed cruelly.  
“Oh, you beg so nicely. I only wish the laborer were here to watch you plead for your life like-“

Suddenly, there was a loud,  
“HUDDAH! HUDDAHHHH!”

The Spy in front of her erupted into flame. She quickly rolled away from him and the onslaught of heat. She quickly put out the edges of her shirt that had caught fire. The Spy’s dying screams were horrifying to hear. He wailed as his flesh and bones melted together. Soon the screams stopped altogether and what was left of him, shimmered and disappeared. 

Lisa gasped for breath while clutching the wall and looked up through her tears to see Pyro standing there with a cocked head.  
“Hrrmph wwrrrmph?”

“I-I’m ok. If that’s what you’re asking…” She stammered as she shakily got to her feet. 

“Hrd Drrf.” He mumbled in response walking with her to the hallway.  
She glanced at the Sentry sapped and wilted in the hallway.

“I’m Engie now…right.” She said to herself before pulling out her welding gun and headed to the sentry. 

“Pyro, cover me.” She said as she knelt to the broken sentry. She flipped the switch to the wires a few times and they whirred softly. Oh good, the damage isn’t so bad we have to wait for Engie. She soldered a few of the wires in the way Engie had showed her. She fused the plastic around the wires and the sentry whirred louder. A good sign. Ok…maybe she would do something right.

She then saw that Pyro was eagerly watching her use the propane torch to fuse some of the plastic together.  
“Engie said you’re good at making and fixing things. Am I doing this right?”

He didn’t say anything. Just continued to watch the small spark of flames from her gun intently.

“Ok…” She said quietly to herself, slightly weirded out by his intense staring. She stopped soldering wires to put the torch away. She opened her bag and found a small wrench. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. She had been told she’d only get the torch…nice. Now she can hit it the way Engie told her to and maybe with some luck it’ll-

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by flame. She quickly leapt out of the way as Pyro began torching the Sentry. She put out the flames on her body and looked in shock at Pyro who was cheering as the Sentry began to melt.

“PYRO?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” She shrieked.

“PRRrrrrrdddaaaAHHHH!” Pyro sing-songed in reply as the Sentry melted into a puddle.

“’ey! Has anyone heard from Pyro or Backup?” Scout’s voice came in through comms.

“Not a word. Think they’re dead?” Demo asked in reply.

“Maybe, but the briefcase alarm hasn’t gone off yet.” Scout noted.

Lisa stared in bewilderment at the pile of bubbling red goop that was once a sentry on the floor in front of her. Pyro did a happy dance before patting her head and skipping off. 

“Oh my God.” She whispered to herself staring at the mess. “Engie is going to kill me.”

“’ey! Backup! You there?” Scout came over comms.

She clumsily answered the comm.  
“Y-yeah…I’m-I’m here.”

“Demo! Ya owe me ten bucks!” Scout shouted, causing Lisa to wince from the volume.

Demo grumbled unintelligibly over the line.  
A sound emerged from further in the building. She quickly pulled out her gun, cursing herself when she realized she’d dropped her baton in the intelligence room. 

‘Backup forgot her backup weapon…great.’ She grumbled to herself.

Around the bend ran…Red Engineer.  
“Oh, thank God.” She breathed lowering her weapon.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Trust ya had no trouble with the Sentry or anything? Pyro help you out?” He chuckled good naturedly as he walked down the hallway past her.

“About that…Engie, I am SO sorry. I-“ She followed after him, almost running into him as he came to a full stop in front of her and was staring in shock at the melted pile on the floor.

“How in the stainless-steel bolts and fasteners did ya manage that?!” He exclaimed walking closer and examining it. 

“Um…I guess you could say that…umm…well, Pyro helped me. Or rather he attempted to help.” She chuckled rubbing her arm self-consciously. 

She heard her backpack whirr and she knew the torch and wrench were gone.

Engie stood up and pushed his hard hat back to scratch his scalp as he continued to look at the melted goop that was once a beautiful gun. 

“He saw me using the welding torch and…I guess he got excited and he just…went for it?” She explained nervously. 

He turned to her with a look of complete dismay before giving a dry laugh and saying,  
“Well…I know you’re tellin’ the truth. You’re little weldin’ torch couldn’t do none of that. I can say for sure that that ain’t NEVER happened before. I’ll have a talk with Pyro later.”

He gave another chuckle as he shook his head and looked at the goop.  
“I dunno whether ya have the worst luck…or the best luck I’ve ever seen. All things considerin’ I thought you’d be in respawn ‘cause of that dog gone Spy.” 

“Yeah…I would’ve been but Pyro saved me. Had Spy immediately went to kill me, I would’ve been dead.” Lisa nodded walking into the intelligence room and picking up her baton.

“Whadd’ya mean he didn’t kill ya right away?” He asked as he checked on the teleporter.

“He cornered me and tried to get me to tell him who I was and…” She stopped as she reloaded her weapon.

“And? What?” He asked sounding angry.

“H-he said he was going to torture me until I told him who I was.” She shook her head as she finished loading her weapon. “I just assumed that was the usual around here.”

She turned and was surprised at the dark look that had passed over Engie’s face.  
“Didn’t hurt ya none, did he?” He asked looking at her.

“Umm besides the emotional and psychological scarring? I’m alright.” Lisa joked light heartedly but stopped when she saw the dark look hadn’t left his face.

“Imma kill ‘im. Next time I see his smug, BLU, French face I’ll-“

“Hey, Engie. It’s ok. I’m fine. Promise.” Lisa told him as he marched down the hallway to check on his dispenser.

Engie checked on his machine and turned to look at her.  
“Ya sure you’re ok?”

“I mean yeah. As good as you can be after being threatened.” She said throwing on a bright smile. 

He didn’t look convinced.

“Seriously…its fine…I mean, it’s not fine but it’s fine. I have already been killed by a couple of my own teammates. It’s not really shocking that the other team would want to do worse.”

An explosion rocked the ground.

“We’ll talk about this later.” He said turning to her.

A whirring sound went off in her backpack. She opened it and pulled out a grenade. Here eyes went wide.

“Demo.” Engie nodded solemnly. “Well…go get ‘em Backup. Ya got this.”

She crept cautiously outside and saw absolute mayhem. Soldier launched a rocket at the enemy Demo and the enemy Demo dodged as the ground he had just been standing in blew up, launching rock and dirt everywhere.

“’ey! You finally joined the party!” Came an excited voice next to her.

She screamed and swung her baton at the source.

The person yelped and leapt back with a,  
“Jeez! Calm down, goldilocks!”

She gave a soft breath of relief and as she was about to put her baton away, her eyes narrowed and she raised it again,  
“How do I know you aren’t the BLU Spy?”

“Already had a run in with him, didja? Yeah, he sucks.” The Scout replied nonchalantly before whistling at Soldier’s impressive rocket launch.

“Tell me something only our Scout would know, or I’ll kill you right here and right now.” Lisa growled through gritted teeth as she held the baton to his throat.

“What? Kill me? Wit’ dat? Come on, Goldi.” He replied unbothered rolling his eyes.

She wasn’t having any of it. She pushed the baton against his throat and jammed him against the wall of the RED building.

“Last chance. Something only our Scout would know.” She hissed.

Scout’s blue eyes were wide now as she pressed the baton against his throat.  
“Wait, you’re not serious. Backup, come on. I-“

“You have until I count to three and then I crush your windpipe. One.” She stated steeling herself for the horrible deed she was about to commit.

“Something only I would know? What do you want from me?! I don’t-“

“Two.” She said gritting her teeth and willing her hands not to tremble as she slowly applied pressure.

“Uh the um…the uh-the-the bet! Yeah! We all bet against you in the fight against Soldier! I lost twenty dollars betting against you!” He stammered out.

Lisa’s eyes went wide, and she quickly removed the baton from his throat. He rubbed his throat and gave a few dry coughs.  
“Oh my God. I am so sorry, Scout!” She apologized as she rubbed his back. “I’m so sorry! I just had a run in with the BLU Spy and now I’m paranoid. I’m sorry!”

He coughed out a laugh and shot her a grin,  
“Eh. Betta’ safe than sorry.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Lisa said as she surveyed her surroundings.

“Yeah…not gonna lie. Dat was kinda hot though…” Scout said breathlessly as he adjusted his cap on his head.

“What?” Lisa asked not sure if she heard him correctly as she turned to him.

“Nothin’.” He shook his head before his eyes widened. “LOOK OUT!”

He grabbed her and they both flew backwards as the impact of the BLU Soldier’s rockets exploded the ground beside them. Scout was the first to recover, standing up and shooting his scattergun at the Soldier who quickly took cover before yelling,  
“MAGGOTS!”

“Got anythin’ in that pack of yours dat could help us?” Scout said gritting his teeth as he continued to fire.

She nodded and quickly rifled through to pull out a grenade.  
“Ok…how does this work?” She murmured to herself turning it around in her hands.

“WHADD’YA MEAN HOW DOES IT WORK?!” Scout screeched at her as Soldier ran closer. 

She pulled the ring and looked up to see Soldier running at them full tilt and Scout backtracking behind her as he missed with his scattergun.  
She threw it at the approaching Soldier. It made it about ten feet…not anywhere near Soldier. It did nothing. A disconcerting smile slowly spread across the BLU Soldier’s face as he advanced. 

“DIDN’T YOU PULL THE RING?!” Scout shouted as he desperately tried to reload.

“Yes, I pulled the ring, Scout. It’s not working.” She grouched at him before pulling out her pistol and missing again.

“YOU SHOOT LIKE A GIRL!” The Soldier taunted as he began to charge.

“THROW ANOTHA ONE! That last one was clearly a-“ Scout panicked.

Suddenly, an explosion filled the air and Lisa’s ears rang loudly. Through the pain and the dust she saw the remains of what used to be the BLU Soldier. 

“…dud.” Scout finished in shock. 

She glanced up at him and got another grenade in her hands. Ready to throw at the next person who approached them.

“Ok…that was sheer dumb luck.” Scout murmured cocking his scattergun.

“Yeah…no kidding…” She said glancing around for an enemy. “Hey, has anyone seen-“

She did not get to finish that sentence as a few blinking bombs rolled towards them both and exploded.

(Three hours later).  
“You’ve failed.” Came the woman’s voice over the speaker.  
Lisa sank down on a bench and let her head rest against the wall. Sweat rolled down her neck and she breathed heavily. The last person she had to fill in for was Soldier…it hadn’t gone well.

The team was not in the best of spirits given their loss and Lisa tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible. That didn’t work.

“WE LOST TEAM! I DON’T ACCEPT FAILURE! WE WILL TRAIN AT ZERO HUNDRED HOURS STARTING TOMORROW! NO EXCEPTIONS!” Soldier bellowed marching back and forth in the corridor like a caged animal.

He then marched up to her and her shoulders tensed instinctively.  
“ESPECIALLY YOU, ROOKIE! A ONE-LEGGED CHICKEN COULD HAVE PERFORMED BETTER THAN YOU DID OUT THERE TODAY! DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!”

“How ‘bout we wait until tomorrow to duke out punishment? That alright with you, Solly?” Engie inquired of Soldier quietly with a easy going lilt.

Soldier considered it and nodded firmly.  
“Your teammate has vouched for you, Rookie. Don’t think it will always save you.”

With that he marched in the direction of the company van.

“Engie? Am I riding with Sniper again?” She asked quietly, wincing at how every muscle in her body ached in protest.

“I’m assumin’ so. Better hurry out there. I think he’s getting’ ready to leave.” Engie nodded.

“Thanks!” Lisa exclaimed running out.

“’ey! Backup!” Scout shouted getting her attention.

He caught up to her and blurted out,  
“Ya didn’t totally suck out there today.”

Her face scrunched in confusion.  
“Uh…Thanks? I guess?”  
He shrugged.

“Yeah no problem. Did betta’ than my first day. Boy…that was somethin’. You got one kill in at least…I mean, we did explode immediately after but-“

“Scout! We are leaving!” Shouted Medic as he headed to the van.

“Be there in a sec!” Scout shouted back before turning to Lisa again. “What I’m tryna say is…ya could use some help. Let’s start those baseball lessons tomorrow, huh? I’ll teach ya ‘bout bein’ a Scout too. You’ll be kickin’ butt on the field in no time.”

Lisa threw him a tired grin.  
“I’d like that.”

Scout beamed and his chest puffed out.  
“Yeah. Course you would! I mean, who wouldn’t want to learn how to be a mercenary from me? I’m the Scout! I’m so fast, ya can’t even-“

“SCOUT!” shouted Heavy.

“Comin’!” He shouted back. He threw Lisa a two-finger salute and ran back to the van.

She shook her head amusedly at his antics before heading to the camper van that was already running.

“Thanks for not leaving me to walk the whole way back.” Lisa said to Sniper as she got into the van and buckled herself in.

“Don’t push your luck.” Came Sniper’s snarky reply before they began their drive.

Lisa was too tired to respond or take what he said personally. She laid her head back against the seat and watched as the sun turned the sky crimson. Her eyes felt heavy and before she knew it, sleep had wrapped her in its sweet embrace.

Author’s note: Whoo! Longest chapter yet! Please let me know what you think! I thrive off of comments! I am currently in school so updates may be sporadic. I am much more motivated to write when I think people are interested though. Thank you to everyone for reading this far! Hope you are all excited for what is to come!


	10. Baseballs and Pipebombs

Sniper had never been the best with human interaction. Particularly to his chagrin…in the realm of women. The women of Australia had always been strong, independent and stubborn. In order to gain their affection, you would have to prove your strength and endurance and usefulness. As a man…you would have to prove you were worth their time. Sniper had never been particularly beefy. He had grown up a lanky boy…his gangly limbs seeming far too long for his adolescent body. His body was always lean. No number of extra portions at dinner or doting from his mother seemed to change that. Growing up and going to a small school in the bush, he had been relentlessly teased for his freakish looks. He had been forced to learn to be quicker in both thinking and in speed. There were days he was forced to outrun the bullies at school to avoid a beating. Other days, he would hide or climb a tree and throw rocks at them until they got bored. He loved his parents, but even they could not seem to comfort him. They seemed to be at a loss as to how to help their only child. His father, a gruff Australian sheep farmer born and raised, would impart some gruff words to the effect of ‘the world is tough, gotta be toughe’.’ His mother was more comforting. She would gently pat his cheeks and say, “Oh, Micky. You’ll find your way, dear.” So, he did. Now…well, neither of them liked it…just leave it at that.  
A soft snore from his right interrupted his thoughts. His gaze was brought to the young woman currently curled tightly against the passenger door. Her pink lips were slightly opened in a soft snore as her eyelids fluttered. Her curls were haphazardly strewn about her face and stuck up every which way. Now there was a puzzle for him to piece. She hadn’t performed abhorrently for her first time out on the field. Her inexperience as a mercenary had showed but overall…not bad for an amateur. However, he knew deep down that she wasn’t being honest. She was a terrible liar. He couldn’t for the life of him understand how this delicate, flower of a young woman ended up in mercenary work.  
Delicate flower?  
He shook his head after the thought. She may look innocent and assuming, but Mick had lived long enough in the mercenary world to know not to trust a pretty face. He’d met plenty like her. All big eyes and unassuming innocence. The second your guard is down, boom. You’re a dead man. His eyes wandered back to her. She wasn’t being honest. She was hiding something. It was true that the mercs were not supposed to discuss their family life…but they all knew something. As of right now, the only thing gained is that she has a protective grandfather and was supposedly from upstate New York. Spy had informed them the night after their sparring session that she’d slipped and mentioned her grandfather. He’d called her skills ‘nonexistent’ and ‘abhorrent’. Was she from money? Was she running? Was she holding back? All Mick knew is that she unsettled him. Mick didn’t like being in the dark. He prided himself on his observation skills…which is why he was so perplexed that she hadn’t dropped the act around him yet. He’d growled at her when she’d made a comment regarding his skill earlier. Instead of defending herself, she’d apologized. She’d curled away frightened. Either she was really good…or she really was completely out of her depth.  
Engie had already gained her trust…or so it seemed. He’d also been keeping them informed of what he learned. Although, Engie did seem to like her.  
They had quickly reminded him that she could be manipulating him, but he’d merely shrugged and answered, “If it’s an act…it’s a darn good one.”  
It wasn’t uncommon for the Administrator to send people to report back to her. He couldn’t imagine the made-up position of ‘Backup’ being a fixed part of the team. He knew that her true colors would show eventually…he’d just have to be patient. He wasn’t normally this standoffish, he usually stuck with his three rules. Be polite, be efficient and have a plan to kill everyone you meet. However, in this situation, the first rule was going to have to take a back seat to the other two. If it turns out that she really is innocent, which he doubted, he would have to profusely apologize. His mother would be furious to know he was treating a woman who’d done nothing wrong to him so rudely.  
Mick huffed to himself as he tipped his hat back to scratch his head as they pulled to the base. The van was parked and turned off and he assumed that everyone had turned in for the night. He cut the engine to his camper and turned to the woman next to him.  
“Oi. Sheila. We’re at the base.” He informed opening his door.  
When there was no response, he turned to see the young woman still dead asleep. 

“Oi! Sheila! Wake up.” He called his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

She curled into a tighter ball and mumbled something in her sleep. Mick rolled his eyes and slammed his car door before walking around to her door and opening it. He shook her shoulder and her head lolled as she continued to snore.  
“Plum tuckered out, eh?” Mick muttered unsure of what to do.

He unbuckled her seat belt and glanced at her again before grumbling to himself and scooping her in his arms in a clumsy bridal style. As he turned, he nearly jumped out of his skin to see Pyro standing behind him. Pyro tilted his head as Sniper cursed in surprise.  
“Don’t do that, mate.” Sniper rebuked as he shut the car door with his shoulder. “Know where her room is?”

Pyro exclaimed unintelligibly and began to lead the way. Sniper adjusted the girl in his arms and froze when she nuzzled into his neck muttering incoherently as she got comfortable. 

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and muttered,  
“You awake?”

A soft snore answered him, and he huffed to himself as he followed after Pyro. He made his way into the base and up a set of stairs. As they headed down a hallway to a set of storage rooms his brows furrowed in confusion. Pyro opened one the door to reveal a makeshift room. A barren mattress lay on the ground with some old pillows and a sorry excuse for a blanket. Moonlight shown lazily into the room revealing the dust that floated in the air.  
Sniper wrinkled his nose in confusion,  
“This is her room? It’s in a right sorry state.”

The woman in his arms grumbled and nestled further in his arms and he took it as his que to set her in her bed. As he set her down, he backed away quickly when she slowly sat up and looked at him and Pyro sleepily. Drowsiness clouded her eyes as she slurred,  
“Sniper?”

“Just brought ya to your room, sheila. Go to sleep.” Sniper assured gruffly.

She nodded before sleepily grabbing her vest and then shirt and pulling them up over her head revealing her white undershirt before reaching for her shoes in order to undress to comfortably sleep.

Sniper’s ears felt hot and he was thankful for the darkness of the room because he knew they were red. He quickly turned to Pyro who was sitting in the corner with his unicorn plushie and some other toys and pillows. It looked like a child getting ready for a sleepover. Pyro looked up at him as Sniper quickly mumbled,  
“I’m gonna leave now.”

And with that he made his exit. 

Lisa opened her eyes blearily as the sun slowly bathed her small space of a bedroom with morning light. She sighed and rolled over on the lumpy mattress, dragging the thin, worn blanket over her shoulders to continue sleeping. She hardly remembered how she ended up in her bed. She stretched languidly and her limbs cracked as she yawned. She brought a hand over her eyes and made a mental note to ask someone on the team how to put in an order for necessities. Curtains can be counted as necessities, right? She rolled over and hugged a second, soft fluffy pillow to her chest and curled in a tight ball as she began to succumb to the warmth that began to envelope her as sleep wrapped her in a loving embrace. Wait…she only has one pillow. If you can even call it that. It rests below her head. What is she hugging? She opened her eyes and her eyesight slowly focused to reveal a fluffy pink unicorn clutched tightly in her arms. 

‘How did Pyro’s plushie get here?’ Lisa thought sleepily before blinking her eyes and seeing a figure hunched in the corner.  
Lisa shrieked and flew back against the wall behind her mattress. The figure turned to her and a happy voice said,  
“Huddah! Hurdumph hurmph?”

Lisa placed a hand over her racing heart as she caught her breath.  
“P-Pyro…what…what are you doing in my room?!”

Pyro shrugged and lifted the two action figures he was playing with.  
“Ok…would you mind…giving me some privacy? Thank you for the unicorn. It was sweet of you.” Lisa said pulling her blanket up to cover her body with one hand and holding the plushie out with the other. She was thankful that she was in her undershirt and pants at least. Her vest and long-sleeved shirt being taken off at some in the night. She just hoped it was her who had done so. Her face turned bright red at the thought of it being anyone else.

Pyro picked up the rest of his toys that had been in the corner and shuffled over quickly to pick up his unicorn. He patted her head a few times and hummed a cheerful tune to himself as he left the room. Lisa huffed and looked beside her bed to see her shirt and vest folded neatly next to her bed. She most certainly did not fold them last night. Maybe Pyro? Had to be…did Pyro carry her to her room? Was she just so tired that she doesn’t remember? She rubbed her face and groaned in annoyance…just one morning she would like to wake up without being stressed out of her mind. As she pulled on her long-sleeved shirt, there was a knock at the door.

“Backup! You up?” Came Scout’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Yes! I’m up! Don’t come in, I’m changing.” She called as she finished putting on her shirt and picked up her vest as she searched for her shoes.

“Uh…wasn’t planning on it.” Scout called back defensively.

“I don’t know. Engie said yesterday that you have a problem with knocking.” She called back as she zipped up her vest and continued to search for her boots.

“I knocked today!” Scout exclaimed.

“Today? It’d better be everyday…I don’t exactly sleep in full uniform, Scout.” She chided as she found her boots and slipped them on.

“Oh, ya don’t?” Scout teased back with a suggestive lilt to his voice. “Well…what do ya sleep in?”

“Chain mail.” She answered blandly.

“Fine. Keep your secrets.” He huffed back though amusement laced his voice.

She shook her head with a small smile as she finished lacing her boots. She took a glance around her room. Everything seemed in order. She grabbed her backpack that was sitting by the door. She opened her door to see Scout leaning against the wall adjacent to it, absentmindedly tossing a baseball in the air. His face lit up upon seeing her.

“Ready to go?” He asked excitedly.

“Go? Oh! You mean for Scout training?” She asked as she adjusted her backpack.

“Yeah, duh. What’d ya think I was askin’ about?” He asked exasperatedly.

“I don’t know…maybe breakfast first?” She suggested as the sun began beam brightly through the windows in the hall.

“Eh. There ain’t much here right now. We should have a delivery in by lunch if you can wait.” He responded studying his baseball.

“Delivery?” She questioned as they started walking down the hall.

“Yeah. I think you should be gettin’ some more stuff for your room and some extra pairs of shirts and pants for your uniform. Sorry ‘bout your room…it’s pretty bare bones.” He said picking up his metal bat that he had rested against the wall.

“It’s alright…maybe I could get some things delivered to decorate it. I also need sheets…a blanket…some new pillows would be nice.” She stated more to herself than to Scout.

“Maybe you could ask your family to send some until we get paid?” Scout suggested as they walked down a flight of stairs.

“Am I…allowed to contact my family?” Lisa asked hesitantly not wanting to get her hopes up.

Scout stopped to stare at her incredulously.  
“Wait…ya didn’t know you could contact them?”

“I wasn’t aware…” Lisa started but was interrupted.

“Jeez…it’s almost like ya didn’t read the contract.” Scout scoffed as he marched ahead of her.

Lisa’s eyebrows rose at this.  
“And you’re saying you have?”

Scout chuffed without looking back at her.  
“Heh. Yeah…duh. Of course, I did!”

“Really?” Lisa questioned skeptically.

“Oh yeah. Loads of times.” Scout chuckled tossing his ball in the air and catching it.

Lisa did not believe him but continued walking after him.  
“Can I look at my contract again? I might not be allowed to contact my family.”

Scout turned to her at that and slowed down enough to walk beside her as they headed to the door that led to the back outside.  
“I mean…maybe your contract is a little different…but I dunno why they’d say you can’t eve’. You’re not allowed to talk about the job, but it’s nice to catch up. My Ma wishes I’d call more often.” He mentioned as they opened the door and walked down the steps to the yard.

“Maybe I can ask Miss Pauling or something.” Lisa responded halfheartedly.

“Doubt it. She only shows up once in a blue moon. Trust me…I’d know.” He said sounding frustrated as he kicked a pebble down the path.

Lisa turned her head to regard the boy’s glum expression.  
“It’s alright, Scout. My recruitment wasn’t the same as the rest of you, I’m fairly sure.” 

“Oh yeah? How were you recruited?” He asked with a jerk of his head, his eyes shining with curiosity.

“I…don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it.” She replied feeling her cheeks heat embarrassedly.

“Oh, come on. I won’t tell no one.” He pleaded.

“I won’t tell no one is a double negative.” Lisa replied, her lips twisting into an amused smile.

“A double what now?” Scout questioned.

“Double negative. I won’t tell no one…implies you’ll tell someone.” She explained.

“Yeah…ok, Miss Smarty Pants with the big words. Let’s see if your brains can help you with baseball.” Scout replied with an eye roll as they entered a cleared area. 

As they entered the clearing, she saw four white bases set. Scout walked over to a couple and shook the dust off.  
“Alright! Best sport in all of America. Baseball. Game of champions. First things first…the Boston Red Sox are the best team. No exceptions. Yankees are the worst team. No exceptions.” Scout stated passionately as he marched in front of her like a drill sergeant.

She absentmindedly wondered if he had learned it from Soldier.  
“I am your teacher. Scout. Or you can call me coach. I’ll accept either.” He suggested with a confident roll of his shoulders.

Lisa subtly rolled her eyes while his back was turned and looked past the field to see a lonely camper van. She wondered where Sniper was…  
“…I am by far the fastest person here, so don’t feel bad if ya can’t keep up.” Scout bragged as he turned to face her.

She jolted to attention.

“Your reflexes weren’t terrible for your first time in the field, but I think if we train at least a few times a week…you’ll be an ok to a semi-decent backup Scout in no time.” He chuckled throwing his ball and catching it. “Before learnin’ baseball…we’ll do the training exercises that I have come up wit’.”

“Ok…so what’s the first thing?” Lisa asked following him with her gaze.

“What’s the first thing, what?” He asked cupping his ear.

It took her a second to realize what he wanted.  
“What’s the first thing, Scout?” She acquiesced.

His chest puffed up proudly at the respectful use of his name.  
“Glad you asked. Firstly, we will be runnin’ laps. Dat’s why we are here so early. Harder to train once the sun is all da way up.” He informed her as he looked at the sun that was steadily climbing the sky.

“Right…so how many laps, Scout?” She asked looking around the little field he had carved out.

“Don’t worry ‘bout that…maybe da term ‘laps’ isn’t da best for what imma ‘bout to do.” He said observing his baseball with a roguish grin.

He then turned to her and his eyes gleamed mischievously,  
“Ya ever play dodgeball?”

“Scout…you’re not going to use the baseball are y-“ She asked paling as she eyed the baseball in his hands.

“If I were you…I’d start runnin’.” He grinned.

She took off.

“Ya can’t leave the field! Just try not to get hit!” He called from behind her, sounding way to excited about what was happening.

Her arms and legs ached in protest as she ran.  
“Way too early in the morning for this.” She grumbled to herself as she took a sharp turn, as she heard Scout’s footsteps gaining ground behind her. 

“GRENADE!” Scout yelled and Lisa dove to the left.

She heard a whistle as the baseball narrowly flew over her head and into the dirt somewhere behind her.  
She quickly got off her hands and knees from her position on the ground and ran in the other direction back towards where they had been.

“Not bad, Backup! Now let’s see if you can do it without a warnin’.” Scout called from somewhere behind her.

She slowed down and glanced in all directions. The area he had cleared was completely flat. Nowhere to hide.  
“If you’re lookin’ for somewhere to hide, ya won’t find one.” He called to her and she could hear him approaching. She turned to look at him while backing up.

“I noticed dat was somethin’ ya liked to do when fighting Soldier in his little maze. Maybe dat will help ya when bein’ a Spy…but when ya gotta fill my shoes-” He then threw the ball at her.

She side stepped just in time to watch it fly past her face in what felt like slow motion. It bounced off the ground and rolled somewhere behind her.  
“It does ya no good. I’m in the thick of it from the time we start, ‘til we finish. Ya gotta get used to bein’ quick and gettin’ hit from time to time. Like obviously, try not ta get hit but ya have to get used to it.” 

“Yeah…right. I-I still don’t want to get hit if it’s all the same to you.” She nodded backing up towards where she had seen the ball go.

Scout advanced clearly not seeing her as a threat.  
“No one wants to get hit. But when ya do, get up. Brush it off. Hit ‘em harder than they hit you. Dat’s how you’ll survive dis place.” 

“Right…” She stated as her ankles brushed the ball. “So, if you get hit…you hit them harder.”

“Yeah. Dat’s what I said. You’re not down ‘til you’re dead.” He stated continuing to walk closer nonchalantly.

“I see. I think I understand.” She stated as she pretended to stretch to touch her toes and sneakily picked up the ball.

“Do ya?” Scout snorted but his expression changed when he saw the ball in her hand.

“Oh yeah. I think I do.” She stated looking at him with a wide smile.

“Backup…what do ya think your-“ He stated backing up.

“THINK FAST, SCOUT!” She yelled chucking the ball at him and running as fast as she could in the other direction.

She knew she missed him, but a laugh bubbled from her throat when she heard him yell,  
“Oh, it is ON, GOLDILOCKS!” 

The rest of the morning was spent like that. Throwing a baseball as hard as they could at the other. By late morning, they were both covered in bruises and sweat but laughing hysterically at one another.

“I won. I hit you in the stomach SO many times.” She laughed as she collapsed on the outside steps to the base.

“What? Nah. I won dat! I nearly hit you in the head like ten times.” He spluttered as he took a seat next to her. He tugged his sweaty shirt as he panted and laid back.

“Nearly doesn’t count.” She scoffed moving her curls to lay on the other side of her shoulder. She cursed herself for forgetting her hair tie in her room as the curls seemed to hold in heat.

“Ok! But I hit you in the back a lot.” Scout defended sitting up.

She winced as she felt the bruises. Those would welt later.  
“You got me there. You win, Scout.”

He gave a cheer and collapsed back again.

“Don’t tell the others, but that was the most fun I’ve had in training so far.” She informed him as she wiped some sweat from her forehead.

He beamed at her.  
“Really?”

“Oh yeah. For sure. I blew myself up training with Soldier and Spy cracked a rib when I trained with him. Engie is really nice…but he is so smart, and he can give me too much information for me to remember all at once. This was a lot more fun.” She nodded as she too laid back on the steps next to him.

“So…does that make me the best teacher so far?” He asked turning to her and raising her eyebrows.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She replied smacking his shoulder playfully.

“I’m da best teacher. Admit it.” He stated closing his eyes and resting his arms behind his head.

“Let’s see how I do next time in a match. Then we’ll see who taught me the best.” She responded gazing up at the cloudless sky.  
It was silent for a bit as they both relaxed.

“I miss clouds.” She mentioned to Scout. “It’s so…”

“Beige here?” He filled in.

“Yeah…it’s just so…boring?” She replied looking for the right word.

“I get what ya mean. I miss snow. We have a base in Colorado. You’ll love it there. Sometimes we get missions up in the mountains and it’s a sight betta’ than here.” He told her with a small smile on his face.

“I love mountains and…snow.” She told him. “I hope we get to go there. I’ve realized I’m not a huge fan of the desert.”

“Yeah…it’s not my favorite place either…but ya get used to it.” He shrugged.

“My grandparents used to take me to the mountains on vacation when I was younger. I really enjoyed skiing.” 

“Neve’ done it. Is it fun?” He asked looking at her.

“Yeah. It’s hard to get used to at first…but once you have a rhythm, you’re fine. I really like ice skating too. Sometimes when we’d visit New York City, my grandpa would take me to Wollman rink. We’d skate together all day and then got hot chocolate later.” She told him, her eyes creasing as she smiled at the memory.

“You seem to spend a lot of time with your grandparents…” Scout noticed.

“Yeah. I do.” She said not offering anything more than that remembering what Pauling had said.

“My grandparents died when I was pretty young.” Scout told her. “Mostly spent time with my Ma and brothers.”

“Oh, you have siblings?” She asked curiously.

“Yeah. Seven brothers.” He nodded with a chuckle. 

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open,  
“So, your mother had EIGHT boys?”

“Yeah…it’s a lot I know.” He said rubbing the back of his neck.

“You’re poor mom. That’s hardly a family at that point…it’s a small army.” She said shaking her head with a small laugh.  
He smiled at that.

“Yeah…we could be a lot sometimes…”  
He took his cap off and ruffled his hair a bit.  
“What ‘bout you? Got any siblings?”

“Not really…I’m an only child. I have a second cousin I am close to who is kind of like an older brother to me. He was around a lot growing up.”

“But other than your cousin…you were just…alone?” He asked his eyebrows furrowing.

“Yeah, I mean…I was an only child. No other siblings…other than my cousin whose kind of like one. There is a large age difference though, so he wasn’t around me all the time growing up. I was always excited when he showed up though.”

“How much older than you is he?” Scout asked.

“Thirteen years.” Lisa replied.

“Yeah…so I guess ya really didn’t have any siblings to rough you up, huh?” 

“Not really. Just my cousin who would occasionally give me a hard time.” She smiled.

“Bet dat must be nice. Siblings can be the worst.” He told her shaking his head.

“Really?” She asked leaving the door open for him to answer.

“Oh yeah. My brothers would beat me up every chance they got. Said it’d make me tougher…” He informed her looking down at his bandaged hands.  
He gave a dry laugh.  
“I mean…it worked but…”

“Sometimes you’d rather not get hit?” Lisa recalled from their time together earlier.

“Yeah.” He nodded with a small smile. “Exactly.”

“What about your parents? Didn’t they ever step in?” Lisa asked concern lacing her voice.

Scout’s face fell and he looked away and Lisa’s heart clenched at the familiar expression. She subconsciously let a hand pat the pocket of her vest where her keepsake was held. She let out a soft breath as her fingers traced the familiar shape of the item. She glanced back to Scout who was still looking away from her and his fists clenched tightly. This was a stark contrast to the upbeat, energetic if not arrogant young man she’d seen earlier.  
“Scout, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask something so personal.”

“It’s ok…you didn’t mean anythin’ by it.” He said looking at her. 

He looked to his hands and unclenched them. He let out a soft sigh and finally said,  
“My ma was always safe to go to. When she was around, she wouldn’t let them rough me up…but she had to work a lot. She did a lot for me growin’ up. Life wasn’t easy…and she did her best for us.”

“I’m sure she did, Scout. She sounds like an amazing person.” Lisa agreed kindly. 

“She really is.” Scout said contemplatively as he looked out over the field in front of them.

They sat in silence for a bit. Just taking in the scenery and resting.  
“Again…I didn’t mean to be nosy about your family.” Lisa offered looking at him.

“No harm done. There’s more to it but…we’ll save that for a later date, yeah?” Scout asked looking at her with a sad lopsided grin. “Maybe then you’ll share some stuff ‘bout your family too.”

“Yeah…maybe…” She replied distantly as she watched a lizard scurry across some rocks nearby. 

Suddenly there was a low rumble and they both sat straight up.  
“What is that?” Lisa asked.

Scout sighed and stood up, stretching his arms over his head.  
“Sounds like the delivery trucks are here. Come on. There should be a delivery for ya. Newbies always get large deliveries.” 

She followed him around the yard towards the front of the building to the garage. There were a few delivery trucks in. The side of two of the trucks said MANN CO. The other said RED BREAD. Multiple workers unloaded the large crates from the trucks parked outside the garage. Spy, Demo and Engineer were already standing there talking to a few workers and signing off on some papers.

“Oh, hey you two!” Engie greeted before observing their dusty and bruised bodies. “Training go well I take it?”  
Scout laughed and said,  
“Yeah, of course it did. I’m a great teacher after all.” 

“Did Scout just say he’s a great teacher?” Demo questioned looking up from the crate he was checking.

“Yeah, ya heard me! She said it herself!” Scout exclaimed defensively snatching the clipboard away from a worker who had walked up to him for a signature off some items. 

“Really now?” Demo asked slyly before looking at her teasingly. “How much did he pay ya to say that?”

The others chuckled at his joke and Scout’s face turned red as he looked away and opened the crate in front of him aggressively. 

“No, really. We had a lot of fun. I think he’s a good teacher.” Lisa defended stepping in. 

Demo fixed her with a look, and she could feel Engie and Spy observing her.

“Huh. Clearly more money than I thought.” Demo chortled softly as he rustled through some items in the crate in front of him.

“I’m being serious. I had fun and think he did a good job.” Lisa defended stubbornly as a worker walked up to her.

“May I have your signature?” The man asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Did I get something?” Lisa asked as she signed it.

“Clearly. Or the man wouldn’t be asking for your signature.” Spy retorted as he picked up a small crate and walked away from the group. 

“Yeah. This way.” The man answered her leading her to one of the trucks. 

The man was dressed in a grey Mann Co uniform with a hat. The brim covered the man’s eyes and Lisa followed behind him hesitantly. The man walked up the ramp into the truck and Lisa followed. Inside he picked up a medium sized box from the truck and set it in front of her.  
“Oh, thank you.” She said as she bent to pick it up.

She had lifted many boxes as part of her job at the bakery back home. She was sure she could lift it. She bent down to lift it.

“Liftin’ with your legs and not your back. Glad ya didn’t forget, bright eyes.” The man commented from where he stood.

She froze at the voice. She looked up at him from where she was bent and saw familiar twinkling brown eyes. His pink lips were pulled to the side in his signature smirk and his black hair was tucked into his hat. His brown eyes danced mischievously. She went to open her mouth, but he put a finger to his lips and then mouthed,  
‘Later.’  
He then told her quietly,  
“Open it when you’re alone.” 

She swallowed as her mouth suddenly felt very dry before giving him a nod. She lifted the large box and walked down the ramp away from him, her heart pounding.

“Whatcha get, Backup?” Scout called from where he was standing over a crate shaking a box of new ammo.

“Some uniforms and things for my room. Guess Pauling was ahead of me.” She called back as she held to box tightly and headed away from them.

“Jus’ a moment, lass!” Demo called her and she turned around to look at him over her box.

“Scout was just tellin’ me that the two of you got blown up by the BLU Demo.” He said casually.

“Yeah…and my grenade didn’t go off when I needed it to.” She replied with a small huff, her voice slightly muffled from the box in front of it. 

“That’s Mann Co for ye. Once we get our paychecks you should upgrade your gear. Until then…I’d like to teach ye ‘bout what it means to be a demolitions expert.” He offered looking at her through his one hazel eye before ending with a smirk and a challenging glint in his eye. “If you’re up for it that is…”

Lisa steeled herself and gave a short nod as she adjusted the box in her arms.  
“I’m up for it.”

“Ye sure? This isn’t some sissy Spy trainin’ or learnin’ a wee bit o’ mechanics. I will be teachin’ ye how to craft high ordinance explosives.” He continued his voice low. “If ye can’t keep up…you’ll explode.” 

She shrugged and threw him a playful look as she turned to the side to look at him fully without the box in her way.  
“First day here I exploded training with Soldier. Second day here…I exploded training with Soldier. If you think I’m afraid of exploding…Soldier kind of beat you to the punch.” 

Scout snorted loudly from where he leaned against a truck watching the exchange and said, “She’s got ya there, Cyclops.”

Engie fought a smile as he stacked boxes in the garage. 

Demo narrowed his eye at her though a smile twitched at his lips.  
“Ye got guts, lass. Let’s ‘ope they stay in ye.”

“Can’t wait to find out. Let me put this box in my room and then maybe we could meet after lunch?” She offered. “Scout told me we would be getting some food delivered in since the kitchen supplies were low.”

“Yeah.” Engie replied as he opened a box with a crowbar and pulled out a machine part to look at it. “There should be some sandwich stuff in the kitchen.”

“Alright, that fine with you, Demo?” She asked from behind her box.

“Sounds fine, lass. See ye in an hour.” He called as she left. 

Lisa carried the box as quickly as she could to her room and once, she made sure the coast was clear, she opened the box.  
Her green eyes filled with tears as she picked up a well-loved recipe book. Her grandmother’s book. She opened it and a sealed envelope fell out. She quickly opened it and wiped away her tears at her grandmother’s neat, cursive.  
Lisa,  
If you are reading this then Vincent have been successful in finding you. Your Grandfather and I have been worried sick. We heard about what happened at the border and don’t you worry, darling. We are having the incident investigated. We know you are in a bind…which is why this must be handled with the upmost discretion. Burn this letter after you receive it. Leave no trace of it. Vincent will meet with you once a month when shipments come in from Mann Co. I know you have questions, mon cher. Your grandfather and I will gladly answer them when you are back, safe and sound. For now, the only way to contact us is through Vinnie. Do not try to call or write as that is easily traced. Trust Vinnie. Your grandfather and I love you so so much ma petit colombe. Vous Êtes fort au-dela de toute mesure et grandement aime. Tu me manques, ma colombe. Prends courage.  
With Love,  
Grandmy and Grandpy.

Lisa quickly brushed away her tears as she stuffed the letter in her pocket next to her most prized possession. She would have to find a place to burn the letter and soon. In the box she found a nice, warm blanket and a new pillow, a nightgown, and a book. She recognized it as one of her favorites growing up, ‘Stuart Little.’ The old hardcover was frayed on the edges and the pages well-loved and worn. She gently set it down next to her bed.

As she sifted through the box, she found a small, crumpled piece of paper with far less neat handwriting.  
Bright Eyes,  
Meet outside the base around by the road. I can’t get into the base without permission, so you’ll have to come out. Meet me around midnight tonight.  
Vincent

Lisa also tucked that in the pocket to be burned. She jumped when she heard a knock at the door and quickly hid the cookbook and the ‘Stuart Little’ under mattress before calling,  
“Who is it?”

There was no reply. She quickly got up and walked to the door and opened it to see another package sitting there also from Mann Co.  
She heaved a sigh as she lifted the box into her room. She opened it to find more uniforms, a few Mann Co posters and some necessities for her room. Plain curtains, an alarm clock, a bedside table (non-assembled), a lamp and what looked to be a bed frame. She also found a Mann Co weapons catalog inside. She set it next to her mattress as reading material for later. 

There was a knock at her door, and she looked up to see Demo peek his head through the door,  
“Ye ready lass?”

She quickly looked at the time on her new clock and said,  
“Oh! Sorry! I lost track of time.”

Demo chuckled and opened the door fully,  
“Figured as much. Made you a sandwich so we can eat as we go over the basics of demolition.”

As he said that, he procured a sandwich and a water bottle. Lisa smiled and took the sandwich and water bottle being offered to her.  
“Thank you. That was very kind of you.”

“Weren’t nothin’ at all.” He shrugged with an easy grin.

Lisa followed after him through the hall and noted the way his body seemed to sway back and forth slightly, and she realized that what she had been told was true. Demo really was rarely sober. 

They arrived at Demo’s room and it was much cleaner than Lisa had been expecting. His bed was made and while the room was not neat…it wasn’t a disaster. The flag of Scotland hung proudly on the wall and perhaps more notable was the large sword hanging above his bed. Lisa felt a certain dread and unease radiating off the large blade and quickly followed Demo to the end of his large room where a workbench sat in the corner. Grenades, sticky bombs and all sorts of other explosive devices lay strewn above the worktable, along with a large bottle of whatever he drank. Etched into the worktable beneath the scattering of explosives, looked to be a symbol. Perhaps a crest? Lisa could make out what appeared to be three grenades and a bottle…very similar to the one sitting on it right then. He grabbed the bottle and took a large swig before gesturing to the seat in front of the table saying,  
“Sit.”

Lisa obeyed and nervously glanced at the bombs as they tottered back and forth as Demo sat with a clumsy thump into his chair.  
“Now lass. The basics, I wan’ ye to recite the periodic table in alphabetical order. Ye may begin.”  
Lisa blinked widely at him. She had not even thought about the periodic table since high school. Demo guzzled his drink and burped before glancing at her and looking her up and down.

“What’s the hol’ up? Go on.”

“I…I do not remember the periodic table…” Lisa stammered, and Demo eyed her critically through his single orb. 

“Ye dunnae…YE DUNNAE THE BLOODY PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS?!”

“I did at one time but Demo! School was a while ago and it wasn’t helpful information for my day-to-day life…” Lisa trailed off as Demo squinted critically at her.

“Figures school didn’t teach ye anythin’ useful! I mean look where ye are!” He gestured grandly at the room around him. “In the middle o’ the desert as a mercenary. Thought bein’ a merc would be easy money now di’ ye?” 

“What? No. I-“ Lisa started but was quickly interrupted by Demo slamming down the bottle and pointing a finger at her.

“Do no’ give me annae lip! I’ve seen yer type before. Ye join on a whim and quit yer borin’ nine to five for an excitin’ new life. Now look at ye. Outta yer depth a million times o’er.”

Lisa gaped at him. He was only halfway wrong. He watched her shrewdly, his one eye darting about her face, appraising her reaction. She quickly shut her mouth and sat up straighter and steadied her gaze a bit, despite the protest of her racing heart.  
Demo snorted before swallowing from his bottle again.

“You’re wrong.” Lisa managed to get out.

Demo stopped drinking to look at her.  
“Beg ye pardon?”

“You’re wrong. I didn’t join for an exciting new life…or money…”

“Those are the only two reasons I can think of a woman like yourself joinin’ us. I mean look at ye! I have seen some serious mercenaries in my time. Men and women both. Me mum bein’ one of ‘em. Terrifyin’ woman. You?” He chuckled before continuing. “Ye look like ye should be settled down in some small town with a ‘usband. ‘ave a dog and a pristine, green yard an’ white picket fence…maybe a wee bairn or two clingin’ to yer skirts.”

A sharp pain pierced Lisa’s heart.  
‘I did want that.’ She recognized painfully before swallowing and forcing a sad smile.  
“Well then…you should know life doesn’t work like that. I may not be as strong or as experienced as any of you, but I am here. Whether I should or should not is up to the Administrator. Are you going to teach me the art of demolition or not? If not, I will go figure it out on my own.” Lisa said far steelier than she felt. 

Demo silently appraised her before bursting into a full, loud belly laugh.  
Lisa blinked in confusion.  
“Something funny?” She asked in annoyance.

“I knew ye were gutsy! We’ll make a professional merc outta ye yet. First, ye gotta ‘ave spirit. Ye got that. Now…I teach ye the basics of demolition. Startin’ wit’ the bloody periodic table o’ elements.” Demo replied breezily pulling out a list of the elements.

“Wait…so that whole thing was a test or something?” Lisa spluttered at his sudden shift in behavior.

“’spose ye could call it that. Most of the fellas ‘ere are suspicious of ye. Not me…well…not much. Ye don’t seem very experienced…but ye’re gutsy. I can work wit’ that.”

“…I knew Spy was suspicious of me. Everyone else is too?” Lisa questioned furrowing her brows.

Demo stopped the bottle on its way to his lips and his eye widened as if he had said something he should not have before waving a hand,  
“Ach! Pay it no mind. Most mercs are suspicious over newbies. No’ everyone ‘ere is suspicious of ye. Ye don’t even know the periodic table. Harmless as a mouse.”

“Does Scout know the periodic table?” Lisa asked snarkily before she could stop herself.

“We aren’t talkin’ ‘bout the Scout. We are talkin’ ‘bout you. Lil’ Miss Backup. Got ‘lot a big shoes t’ fill. So, let’s start wit’ mine.” Demo cleared his throat and handed her the paper. “’ere’s yer homework. Expect ye to have it memorized within the week.”

“I guess this really is important stuff, huh?” Lisa murmured softly observing the chart. 

“Important?! Ye bet yer da’s kilt it’s important!” Demo exclaimed slamming a fist on the table, causing Lisa to jump. “One crossed wire…one wayward pinch o’ potassium chlorate…one errant twitch…AND KABLOOEY!!!!”

Lisa leaned back in her chair and observed as Demo launched on an impassioned tirade on the art of demolition. Lisa sighed softly to herself opening her bottle of water and sandwich as Demo began to discuss the basics of the chemicals he works with on a small blackboard behind him. This was going to be a long lesson…

(Hours later)

Lisa trudged exhaustedly to the kitchen to have dinner. After a grueling four hours of studying with Demo, he’d finally let her go with a long list of assignments to complete before the next week when he was planning on meeting for lesson two.  
As she walked down the hall to the kitchen, a delightful, savory smell wafted to her nose. Her stomach rumbled at the scent and she quickened her pace to see who was cooking. She reached the kitchen area and was met with the onslaught of savory aromas and the freshness of some form of bread. Engie stood in front of her at the oven, pulling out a large sheet of yellow bread. A large pot bubbled on the stove. 

“Hello, Engie.” She greeted, trying not to salivate.

He turned to her with a kind expression.  
“Evenin’ Backup. Glad to see you’re not skippin’ dinner.”

“It smells amazing. What is it?” Lisa asked as Engie gestured for her to sit at the table.

“Ah this? Jus’ a simple Texas chili and good ol’ fashioned cornbread. Careful, it’s hot.” Engie warned as he set a steaming bowl in front of her and a large piece of cornbread in a napkin.

The large, warm bowl of seasoned beef and beans was topped with a dollop sour cream, a few pieces of jalapeno and a generous smattering of grated, cheddar cheese.  
Lisa offered up a quick prayer and dug in with her spoon. A burst of warm, southern flavors hit her tongue and she moaned softly in delight.  
“Engie, this is amazing.”

He smiled softly at the praise as he grabbed a bowl for himself.  
“Glad ya like it.”

He then walked to an intercom on the wall and pressed the button,  
“Grubs up!”

Engie grabbed a bowl and a square of corn bread and sat next to Lisa. They both ate in a comfortable silence. Lisa attempted to keep some form of manners even as her stomach screamed at her to shovel and then get more.  
Scout was the first to bound in for dinner, quickly followed by Heavy and Soldier. They all sat at the table and began to eat too. Soldier and Scout bantered as Engie chuckled in amusement and Lisa was just thankful she wasn’t being interrogated again. As she was eating she noticed the flame burning low under the pot. The food in her mouth suddenly tasted acrid as the two letters in her pocket suddenly felt very heavy. She needed to get rid of them.  
Lisa finished her portion and rose to wash her dish as the others chowed down.

“Ya finished already?” Scout questioned muffled, as he attempted to shove his piece of corn bread in his mouth. 

“Yeah. I got here earlier than you. Thanks for dinner, Engie!” Lisa thanked as she left to find some way to dispose of the letters. 

She decided to head outside to find a burn bin or maybe somewhere she can bury it. As she headed outside, she saw Pyro standing by a large barrel. The sky was beginning to darken, stars slowly beginning to glisten in the open sky above. As Lisa walked closer, she was ecstatic to find a flame burning brightly. She just had to be sneaky. Throw it in when Pyro turned or left…

“Hello Pyro.” She greeted coming over to the barrel and standing in front of it, holding out her hands to warm as the desert air slowly began to drop.

“Hrrrmwrrm.” Pyro nodded to her before turning back to stare at the flames with her. 

As the sky finished turning dark and the stars began to fully blanket the heavens above, Lisa was beginning to get nervous. Maybe now wasn’t a good time for this…maybe she could get rid of them some other way?  
Then as fate would have it, a shout came from the base.  
“Pyro! Can ya come ‘ere a minute? Could use your help!”

“Errgee! Hrrmwrrppphh!” Pyro called back before running in the direction of the voice.

‘Finally.’ Lisa thought as she watched Pyro’s form disappear into the building. 

She waited a few more moments. Listening for anybody and trying hard to scan the darkening surroundings for anyone. After determining that the coast was clear, she brought out the two letters and after reading them one more time. She tossed her grandparents letter in first and watched it burn. She then lifted Vincent’s letter and as she was about to drop it, she saw a shadow from her peripheral vision. She dropped the letter in shock and turned to see…nothing. She looked to her hand and the note was gone. The flames still burned brightly…too brightly to check if it had fallen in. Feeling a chill that she doubted was from the cold, she went to head inside after checking around the bin to see if it had fallen around it. Nothing there. Lisa bit her lip nervously, but what could be done? She was just paranoid. She went to wait inside until it was time to meet Vincent. 

(Midnight)

Lisa had snuck out of the base with little issue. She watched warily as the sentries whirred and focused on her as she passed the entrance and the canvas disguise. She walked cautiously out to the freeway. No headlights shown on the road. No sounds…except those of the night creatures of the desert. She wrapped her arms around herself and patted the gun at her side for comfort. 

“Psst! Bright eyes!” hissed a voice.

Lisa jumped, hand on her gun to see Vincent emerging from a place he had been hidden by rock. Emotion swelled in her chest and a sob tore from her throat as she gasped,  
“Vinnie!”

She ran and threw herself into his arms. One of his arms wrapped securely around her waist and the other came up to rest his hand on the back of her head.  
“Vinnie. How the…how did you find me?” She cried into his chest.

“Bright eyes. I don’t think there’s anywhere ya could go dat I couldn’t find ya. They hurt ya? I swear to God if they did, I’ll kill ‘em all myself.” Vinnie said pulling her back to look at her.

“I mean…I can’t…I can’t tell you much. You’re already in danger being here.” Lisa whispered to him. “I can’t meet you often. They’re already suspicious of me for being a…imposter or something. They were very clear in saying that I can’t tell anyone what happens in the base.”

“Lisa…how the heck did you even get mixed up in dis? I’ve started snoopin’ a bit. You’re way in over your head.” Vinnie questioned his brown eyes shining with concern. 

“Didn’t Grammy and Grampy tell you? The bakery van I was driving was full of weapons. I was blackmailed into coming here. I was forced to sign a contract and work as mercenary or be sentenced to life in prison. Can you get me out of here?” Lisa rushed gripping his arms.

“That…that is so illegal, Lisa.” 

“Getting me out of here or the fact that I’m here to begin with?” Lisa smarted back.

“Well…I suppose both. The people you’re working for…the companies are very powerful from what I’ve seen. I’m gonna keep snoopin’ until I figure out what’s goin’ on and find a way to get ya out. I swear, I’ll die before leavin’ ya here on your own.” Vince stated strongly.

Lisa’s green eyes widened fearfully and she quickly grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake.  
“No. No, you idiot. If you’re in danger you leave. You understand? You leave. Don’t do that to Grammy and Grampy. I don’t even understand how you found me. How did you get a job at Mann Co? I thought you worked as a consultant in New York!”

Vinnie gave her a sad smile and said,  
“Hey, I promise when you’re somewhere safe, I’ll explain everything. I promise, ok? But I’m not goin’ anywhere ‘til your safe. Got it? Not leavin’ ya here.”

“Vinnie. You said it yourself. These people…whoever my employers really are, they’re powerful. They don’t take kindly to threats and as I said. My coworkers are already suspicious of me for whatever reason. Please…please run if there’s danger. I…I can’t lose anymore…” Her throat closed and her eyes blurred with tears as her hands dug into his shoulders as she began to tremble.

His eyes widened and quickly turned remorseful as he grabbed her hands.  
“Lisa…hey. I’m sorry…I didn’t mean that. I won’t die. I’m tough. I’m sorry, I worded that poorly. I won’t die. Ok?”

“Promise me…promise me, Vinnie. If there’s danger to yourself…you’ll get out of here. If I tell you to run, that you’ll run. Please…for me, Grammy and Grampy.” Lisa shuddered eyes closed tightly as her body trembled.

“I…I..” Vincent stammered, hesitant to agree.

“Please, Vinnie. Please. I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to any of you because of me.” She begged tears rolling down her face.

“Ok…Ok. Ok, bright eyes. I promise. We have to think of a code word that means, ‘Vinnie, you ‘bout to die. Run for the hills!’” He joked playfully trying to coax a smile out of the distressed woman in front of him.

Lisa wiped her eyes and gave a watery laugh.  
“I don’t know. What do you think? What would immediately tell you to run?”

“Other than the word, ‘run’?” Vinnie teased.

They both thought silently for a few moments before Lisa pulled away with a laugh and asked,  
“Hey, do you remember when we went to that one Chinese place in Queens? We both got terrible food poisoning from the food there.”

“Yeah…dat was awful. I still can’t stomach fried rice after dat.” Vinnie replied with a grimace.

“How about that? I’ll somehow get the word. ‘Queens’ to you.” 

“Hm. That’ll work. Same for you? If I think you need to get out of dodge…I’ll send the message to you too?” Vinnie asked.

“Sure. Sounds good. I have a feeling I’ll probably be telling you first though.” Lisa replied grimly.

“Well, let’s both hope it doesn’t come to that.” Vincent replied ruffling her blonde curls on her head.

“Ow! Stop it, Vinnie!” She griped, swatting away the offending hand.

He chuckled softly before looking at the sky above them.  
“Well…I’ll let Grammy and Grampy know you’re ok. They’ve been worried sick about ya. I’ll try to meet with ya once a month. Once I have a place set up near by to live, I’ll find a way to give ya a number to phone if ya need me.” 

“Well…don’t settle in Teufort. I know that much.” Lisa advised.

“Noted.” He grinned before punching her shoulder gently.

Lisa wrinkled her nose at him and rubbed her shoulder.

“Oh, c’mon. It was a light tap.”

“Still hurt you jerk.” She grumbled.

“Missed ya, cuz.” He grinned turning away. “I’ll hopefully see ya soon. Keep ya head low. Don’t do anythin’ I wouldn’t do!”

“Oh yeah. That REALLY narrows it down for me.” She teased back with a lighthearted grin despite her heart sinking at the fact that he had to leave. 

Vincent walked a motorcycle to the road and mounted it before giving her one last fleeting look.  
“Stay safe, Lis.”

With that, his engine revved softly before he disappeared into the night. 

Lisa stood there in the chilly desert watching until his taillight had completely disappeared. She sighed to herself and rubbed her arms for comfort before heading back to the base…completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her. 

Author’s Note: YAY! Next chapter complete. I hope you all enjoyed it! I am trying to get at least one chapter out a month. I’m on break so hopefully more chapters will come soon! Please comment and let me know what you think! They make my day.  
Here’s the translation for the French above. DISCLAIMER: I do not speak French. I used a translator on Google. If one of you does speak French and wishes to inform me the proper way to say these things, I will gladly listen. 

Vous etes fort au-dela de toute mesure et grandement aime: You are strong beyond measure and greatly loved.

Tu me manques, ma colombe. Prends courage.: I miss you, my dove. Take heart.


	11. Plots and Schemes

“There bette’ be a good reason for wakin’ me up so early in the mornin’.” Scout grouched, rubbing sleepily at his blue eyes. His wrinkled pajamas could attest to how well he had been sleeping before Soldier had been barging in prattling on about an emergency meeting or something. The clock on the nearby wall read 2:15AM.

“Aye! What’s ta meanin’ of this?!” Demo slurred with a belch, clearly having been woken from an alcohol induced slumber.

“I agree with them. What’s this whole emergency meeting about…and where is Backup?” Engineer agreed as his eyes trailed about the room beneath his goggles, searching for the missing teammate.

Sniper stood silently in the corner, taking in his surroundings cautiously before landing on Spy who walked to the front of the table in the meeting room. The light flickered dully above the table as the moon’s rays shone through the window slats. Pyro sat next to Engineer’s feet petting his unicorn plushie and looking generally oblivious to the strangeness of the current meeting. Heavy sat at the table in a white wife-beater and boxers with red hearts on them, if he was embarrassed by his current state of dress, he didn’t show it. Sasha sat on his lap and he pat the top absentmindedly. Soldier stood at attention dutifully to the side. Scout yawned obnoxiously loud before leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table in front of him. Medic entered the room each hand holding a vial of some unknown substance bubbling in it is test-tube. 

“Vhat is it?! Vhas there a breach?!” Medic demanded while carefully eyeing the vials in hand.

“Of a sort.” Spy answered, lighting a cigarette and looking towards the window contemplatively.

“Well…” Engie started with furrowed brows, pulling out his PDA and tapping it a couple times before shrugging and glancing up. “None of my sentries have been tampered with or disabled.” 

Spy blows out a puff of smoke with a dry chuckle.  
“This saboteur did not sneak in here in a…conventional manner.” 

Everyone stared back at Spy trying to figure out what he meant before Engie gave an exasperated huff and threw up his hands,  
“Really? This again? I thought we’ve been through this!”

Spy’s smirk was smug as he met the Engineer’s incensed gaze steadily and observed his cigarette with false innocence.  
“Ever the champion, what did she do to earn such loyalty I wonder?” 

The room erupted into confused shouting and angry allegations. 

“Wait! Time out!” Scout interrupted throwing his hands up in the shape of a T. “What exactly is goin’ on here? I’m lost.”

“As am I. Is enemy in base or not?” Heavy demanded deep voice rumbling half in confusion and half in annoyance.

“Well, if Spy is done accusin’ me of bein’ a TWO-FACED BACKSTABBER…” He clenched his jaw and fixed Spy with a meaningful glare before continuing. “then I suppose he won’t mind sharin’ what he’s learned with the class.”

Spy smirked disconcertingly before stating,  
“Gentlemen. It seems our newest member is not being fully honest with us…”

Engineer muttered under his breath and Pyro pat his leg to comfort him. Sniper folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall in a more relaxed stance as he waited to hear what Spy had to say.   
Demo’s single eye flashed in irritation as his fist hit the table with enough force to startle Scout into dropping his feet to the floor.  
“Enough with’a theatrics! Get to the bloody point!”

“Very well.” Spy stated tapping his cigarette into the ash tray on the table and gazing back at the group. 

The group waited in almost palpable anticipation as Spy took another long drag of his cigarette before speaking, “I happened to notice Backup outside with Pyro by the burning bin this evening.”

Pyro gave an excited laugh at having been mentioned in Spy’s story.

“So what? Leetle mouse and Pyro are close comrades, da? Not strange to be together.” Heavy pointed out with a guarded expression.

Pyro gave a few happy noises of agreement before turning back to his unicorn toy.

“Of course, I know this.” Spy hurried with a tinge of agitation. “However, when the laborer called Pyro away, she seemed…skittish. So…I cloaked and went closer to see if she was hiding something.”

“Ya sure it wasn’t the fact that she was outside, in the dark, by herself and a Spy was trying to sneak up on her?” Engie inserted with a raised brow.

“She has played her part well, I see. Do not be troubled, laborer. Your weakness for the fairer sex is a testimony to your southern manners.” Spy jabbed eyes glittering maliciously.

Engie took a step forward, clearly ready to fight when Sniper firmly grabbed his shoulder gave a sharp shake of his head. Engie’s shoulder was stiff under Sniper’s hand before relaxing with a long, tired sigh. 

“What’d ya learn, Spy?” Engie asked defeatedly.

“Well, as I got closer, I realized she was making sure no one was around so she could burn what looked to be letters. The first one was already in the flames before I could do anything about it. I went to grab the second one from her, but my cloaking device ran out and she turned upon hearing the sound. She did not see me, but she had dropped the letter. When I was able to re-cloak and return to find it, I found her looking around for it, but it was gone. The wind must’ve taken it.” Spy ended contemplatively putting out the cigarette and flicking it into the ash tray.

“So…she burned some paper…and she’s our enemy now?” Scout questioned in disbelief.

“That’s part of it.” Spy acquiesced. 

“You woke us up….to tell us that Backup used the burn bin…to burn stuff?” Scout clarified his lips twitching into an amused grin. “Hate to break it to ya pal but that’s the point of a BURN BIN.”

Medic, Demo, and Engie let out a chuckle at that and Spy threw an icy glare at Scout before opening his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Soldier.  
“The Spy speaks the truth! Backup’s behavior has been suspicious! I found THIS when I was out feeding Lieutenant Bites his nightly rations!” Soldier exclaimed before slapping a charred and crumpled note on the table. 

Spy picked up the note gingerly to read it before a smile slowly spread across his face,  
“Good work, Soldier. I must admit…I am…almost impressed.”

Soldier beamed and saluted before standing on guard on the side of the room again.

“Well…what’s it say?” Scout demanded impatiently.

“Some of it is unreadable…but it says, ‘-can’t get into base…come out…meet me around midnight tonight…Vincent.’” Spy read aloud.

The group was dead silent after he read it. The heaviness of the allegations against Backup hung over the group like a dense fog. Engie collapsed into his chair his face a myriad of conflicting emotions. Medic looked away from his vials to the group. Heavy was analyzing Sasha, his blue eyes lost deep in thought. Sniper’s lips curled into a snarl and he cursed beneath his breath before pushing his hat up and rubbing his forehead. Scout looked positively confused and Pyro hugged his toy tighter to his chest sensing the cloying negativity perforating the room. Demo’s exhaustion seemed to disappear instantly. The drunkenness in his eye giving way to an acute shrewdness. Soldier continued to stand at attention off to the side, but even he radiated some of the same nervous energy that his coworkers were.

“Still believe that mademoiselle is innocent, laborer?” Spy challenged taking in Engie’s defeated expression. 

“I…I dunno what to make of it…” Engie admitted looking away clearly conflicted.

“This ties in well with what I was going to share. Around midnight, Backup went outside to meet someone…this…Vincent…” Spy shared as he casually paced in front of them. “He could not get past the sentries stationed in the front…so she met him by the road.”

“What’d you hear?” Sniper spoke up, his eyes dark behind his aviators.

“I could only catch pieces. He wants to snoop around here…I think he’s going to try and infiltrate the base…but they seemed…comfortable with each-other.” Spy offered.

“So…she’s in kahoots with an outsider try’na sneak into the base?” Sniper assessed grimly.

“That is what I have gathered so far. I want to keep an eye on her and see if she has any more secret meetings with this Vincent.” Spy informed them carefully.

“Maybe the lass has herself a chavie?” Demo offered with a raised brow.

“A what? A chevy?” Scout questioned turning to Demo with a puzzled expression.

“No. Not a chevy. Chavie. Like a lover…a boyfriend.” Demo informed him with a shake of his head.

“Nah…I don’t think…well, she hasn’t mentioned a boyfriend to me.” Scout answered scratching his head as he mulled over the information.

“And why exactly would she tell you if she has a boyfriend or not?” Spy asked derogatorily. “Moving your sights from Miss Pauling to her?”

Scout’s face turned red with anger at the accusation and quickly rebutted,  
“No! She’s…she’s cute but she’s not my type.”

“Wasn’t aware ye had a type. ‘ere I thought you’d chase anything in a skirt.” Demo chortled in amusement. 

“I do not!” Scout huffed crossing his arms. “I have standards.”

The entire group let out a series of guffaws and laughs at that and Scout’s face turned even redder as he became flustered.  
“Yeah! Yeah! Laugh it up, you guys! But Backup and I bonded, and she didn’t say anythin’ about no boyfriend.” He grouched looking away from the group petulantly.

“And how exactly did you two bond?” Spy asked raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“What?! No! Not like that ya pervert.” Scout snapped before he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I…I told her a bit about home, and we bonded some over family. Alright? Nothin’ gross. Just two friends talkin’ ‘bout their life.” 

“Seems the laborer isn’t the only one swayed by her. You’ve known her for less than a week and call her friend.” Spy scoffed. 

“We bonded! Alrigh’? In fact, I’ll prove it to ya since ya don’t believe me. Her family is from New York and she talks ‘bout her grandparents a lot. She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters, howeve’ she has a cousin she’s close to. He’s thirteen years older than her and they spent a lot of time togethe’. And what else…Oh! Her grandpa would take her to Wollman rink in New York City to go ice skating.” Scout rambled off before glancing around the room with a pleased expression. “See? We really did bond. She’s really started to open up to me.” 

The room was silent as everyone stared at Scout. Scout’s pleasure at being the center of attention quickly turned to defensive concern.  
“What? Why’re you all lookin’ at me funny?” He asked straightening up.

“When did she tell ya all this?” Engie questioned.

“Ummm…. yesterday. After trainin’. She said she had a good time playing dodgeball wit’ me and-“ 

“Wait…hol’ up. Ye both played dodgeball?” Demo interrupted incredulously.

“What is wrong with dodgeball?! IT IS AN HONORABLE AMERICAN SPORT-“ Soldier jumped in emphatically.

“Yeah thanks, Solly.” Scout waved before turning back to Demo. “You ain’t a Scout. I ain’t a Demo. I don’t question your teaching methods…don’t question mine.” 

Demo shrugged before saying,  
“’s’not a bad idea. How ‘bout real grenades instead o’ baseball?”

“’eyyyyy! Now we’re talkin’! Let’s do that in a couple wee-“

“Back to the matter at hand, gentlemen!” Spy interrupted with a stern and focused expression. “Scout…did she share anything else with you?”

“Uh…not that I can remembe’? Why?” Scout replied cautiously.

“Engineer…did she tell you any of this?” Spy asked turning his attention to the Engineer sitting at with rapt attention.

“Uh…no. I never asked.” Engie admitted.

Spy put his hands on the table and let out a long deep breath before raising his eyes to Scout and saying,  
“I cannot believe I am saying this but…Scout…we need you to gain more information from Backup.”

“What? Who?” Scout questioned then slowly pointing to his chest in disbelief. “Me?!”

“Unless there is another person in this room who goes by ‘Scout’ then yes. I am referring to you.” Spy sighed in exasperation.

“Wait. Hol’ on jus’ a sec. I was jus’ bein’ nice and she tol’ me all this. I ain’t no interrogator.” Scout spluttered.

“We’re not asking you to be one. Just…continue being friendly with her and then relay back to us what you learn. If what she said is false, then we will eventually find a hole in her story.” Spy placated in a quiet voice as if speaking to a child. 

“I…I dunno how I feel ‘bout it.” Scout grimaced leaning back in his chair. “She’s only been nice to me. This feels…wrong.”

“Odd time to grow a conscience.” Spy snorted. “We’re mercenaries. She is posing a threat. We figure out who she is and what she’s doing. Simple as that.”  
“Can’t believe I’m sayin’ this but…” Sniper started as eyes turned to him. “I agree with the Spy. The sheila ‘as been strange, no’ like any mercenary I’ve eve’ met.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Scout asked. “Maybe she really is just a rookie? Ya know? We all had to start somewhere.”

“Her backstory is odd for a mercenary though. She has two loving grandparents and a cousin. She claims to be from New York. Her accent is not from New York though.” Spy shared as if putting together pieces in a puzzle. “I have heard it before but…I cannot place it.”

“I do not like this.” Heavy spoke deeply as the room gave him their attention. “Does not matter where is from or what did before. Now is mercenary. Past life is private and hers to share only.”

“Unless it’s an act and she really is a threat to the whole group.” Spy pointed out viciously.

“Leetle mouse has poor mercenary skills. She is like baby bird who cannot fly. She is not traitor.” Heavy insisted quietly.

Heavy having made his point, picked up Sasha carefully and left the room. The room was quiet after their comrade’s words and Spy asked,  
“Anyone else?”

The room looked at Engineer and he scratched the top of his head.  
“I think she’s sweeter than a Georgia peach…but…she can’t be sneakin’ strangers into or around the base. If we don’t stop her…the Administrator will.” 

They all murmured in agreement. 

“So, the plan. Scout, try to dig for some more information. Whatever she tells you, you relay back to us. We will meet once a week to inform the group what we have learned.” Spy informed them with a small smile. 

“…and if it turns out that she’s innocent, what then?” Engineer quickly inserted and all eyes turned to Spy for a response. 

“If I happen to be wrong…which I very much doubt given the evidence acquired…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You’re familiar with this phrase, non?” Spy asked with an elegantly raised brow. 

Engineer sighed and lowered his head in acceptance.

“Very well. Whatever information you find, report during our meetings. Oh, and also…” Spy started as everyone began to rise from their chairs to leave. “This is a delicate matter. It must be handled subtly…with finesse. You understand?”  
Spy turns his gaze directly to Scout and Soldier.

Scout fidgeted beneath his intense gaze and Soldier gave a quick salute. Scout gave a half-hearted salute with his fingers before hurriedly leaving the room before Spy could dissect him. Medic gave a small chuckle shaking his head as he left the room his vials still in hand. Soldier left with Demo and Pyro tugged on Engie’s shirt before pointing to the door.

“Yeah…I’ll be out in a bit.” Engie informed him. 

Pyro shrugged and waved to Sniper before leaving. Sniper sighed heavily and headed out after him. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep and the stress from the heavy topic of the meeting. As Sniper left, Engie turned his gaze to Spy who casually observed him.  
“Something wrong, laborer?” Spy asked tossing the leftover ashes from the tray into a nearby wastebin.

Engie went to say something before clenching his jaw and muttering, “No.”

“Well then…I bid you adieu.” Spy nodded to him before heading out.

Engie stood alone in the room for a while before lifting his eyes to ceiling and cursing, “Dagnabbit.” 

Lisa awoke to Soldier’s terrible bugle playing and groaned before covering her head with a pillow. The sun was just ascending over the horizon and managed to peak through the slit in Lisa’s curtains before she angrily shut them tighter. She grumbled to herself before fluffing her pillow and relaxing back into her bed. She had slept so much better after setting up her room properly last night. Even if she only did technically finish setting it all up a few hours ago. The bumpy mattress now had a soft comforter on it and some warm blankets. Her new pillows were soft and springy. The mattress was now off the floor by a few feet, held up by a sturdy wooden bed frame. The Mann Co curtains, although thread bare and a dull grey, did their job and held back the sun from tired eyes. Her mind began to drift away into dreams when a loud knocking was heard on her door. Her exhausted bloodshot eyes shot open and she muttered darkly under her breath before calling out,  
“Who is it?”

“Oh…uh…Hey, Backup! It’s Scout!” Scout’s voice called back.

Her brow furrowed and she looked at her new clock on her recently constructed nightstand.  
“It’s pretty early, Scout. I didn’t think we had training or anything…isn’t it a ceasefire day?”

“Uh yeah it is. I just wanted to let ya know that breakfast is ready in da mess hall. Soldier made pancakes but you bette’ get up now if ya want any. They’re goin’ fast.” He informed her.

Lisa contemplated telling him she wasn’t hungry and just wanted to sleep when her stomach loudly protested her current train of thought. She sighed and rubbed her aching eyes.  
“Ok. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Ok! I’ll walk ya over!” Scout exclaimed with a little too much eagerness.

Lisa’s brows furrowed as her tired mind sluggishly processed the strange quality to Scout’s voice. Then again, it is Scout. He was probably just being weird. She clumsily put on her uniform and stifled a yawn as she opened her door and zipped up her vest. Scout quickly took a peek at her room before she closed it and she eyed him warily.  
“You ok?” She asked looking him up and down in concern. 

“What? Oh yeah! I’m great. I’m sure you’re doin’ great too after the night of sleep you’ve had.” He replied energetically bouncing on the balls of his feet as his focus quickly shifted from her room to her.

“Actually, I didn’t really sleep that well.” Lisa admitted.

“Oh yeah? Why not?” Scout asked far too quickly.

She glanced at him. 

“Didn’t you see my room? I have brand new furniture in there now, but it didn’t come fully assembled. I spent most of the night setting up. Only fell asleep a few hours ago.”

“Oh…right. Assembling furniture. Is that all you did last night?” Scout probed looking everywhere but her.

Lisa tilted her head at him in confusion as they walked toward the mess hall.  
“What do you mean is that ALL I did last night? Was I supposed to be doing something else?”

Scout threw up his hands in a motion of surrender.  
“No! No! Not at all! I was just curious if you had done anything else yesterday night…that might’ve made you tired.”

“I mean, it was a long day. Had training with Demo and….wow…I had no idea there was so many intricacies to being a demolitions expert. He really knows his stuff. It’s kind of like studying with Engineer though. It makes my head hurt after a while.” She said with a good, humored chuckle.

Scout half heartedly returned it and Lisa’s eyes squinted in confusion.

“What? Why’re you lookin’ at me like that?” Scout demanded nervously.

“Are…are you ok? You’ve been acting weird.” Lisa told him as they approached the mess hall.

“What? Me? Nah. I’m normal as eve’. You’re bein’ weird.” He deflected lamely as he opened the door to the mess hall for her.

“Well…if you say so.” Lisa shrugged entering the mess hall.

To her surprise, there were a few faces in the mess hall for breakfast that she normally did not see at mealtimes. Demo sat at the table with a newspaper and a half-eaten pancake. Spy stood at a window nearby staring out contemplatively as he held what looked to be a cup of coffee. Soldier was sitting at the table with a tall stack of pancakes on his plate and an indecipherable concoction of condiments lathered on top of it and dripping down it’s sides. Scout sat at the table and gestured for her to sit next to him. She noticed Soldier’s gaze never leaving her as she went to sit at the table in the seat next to Scouts.  
Soldier’s gaze stayed fixed on her with alarming concentration as he grabbed her plate and stacked pancakes on it. She was too afraid to tell him that anything more than three pancakes was too many for her.  
He then plopped the plate in front of her and set a bottle of maple syrup in front of her.

“Uh…thanks…Soldier…” Lisa murmured hesitantly as she looked at the six pancakes on her plate in front of her.   
He continued to stare at her.

“Can…Can I help you with something?” She asked feeling her heart race in alarm as the unstable man eyed her critically from beneath his helmet.

He then set honey, jam, peanut butter, butterscotch syrup, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise before her and then looked at her expectantly.

“That’s…a lot of toppings.” She stated looking at the bottles. “Thanks for offering?” 

She grabbed the maple syrup and began to pour it when Soldier hit the table causing her to spill it on the table too.

“SHE CHOSE THE MAPLE SYRUP! ONLY HIPPIES AND CANADIANS CHOOSE MAPLE SYRUP!” He bellowed.

Her heart leapt in her throat at the accusation. As bizarre a claim as it was…he wasn’t as far off as she would have hoped.  
“I put…syrup on my pancakes…and this makes me a traitor or something?” She asked slowly tilting backwards from Soldier’s form that was leaning towards her from the other side of the table. 

He continued to lean forward and said menacingly,  
“Alright you cowardly Canadian…tell me…WHY’RE YOU HERE?!”

Lisa looked around in alarm at the others and to her relief found that they too seemed annoyed and perplexed by his claims.  
Spy let out an irritated sigh and rubbed his temples. He muttered something about idiots in French and took a sip of his coffee. 

“Uh…Solly. Lots o’ Americans put Syrup on their pancakes.” Scout pointed out in confusion as he reached for the syrup bottle and poured onto his pancakes.

“Do you know where maple syrup comes from, son?” Soldier asked zeroing in on Scout.

“Uh…maple treeth…right?” He guessed thickly through a mouthful of food.

“NO! CANADA! THOSE DANG CANADIANS ARE TRYING TO HIJACK OUR AMERICAN BREAKFAST WITH THEIR SICKLY SWEET CONCOTIONS OF SOCIALISTIC DECEIT!” Soldier responded passionately before pointing to his pancakes. “I HAVE PUT ON EVERY OTHER CONDIMENT IN ORDER TO PROTEST MY AMERICAN RIGHT TO ONLY CONSUME PURE AMERICAN PRODUCTS!”

Scout gagged his face turning green.  
“Oh my god…Solly…is that ketchup?”

“OF COURSE, IT’S KETCHUP! NOW HAD SHE CHOSEN THE MAYO SHE WOULD MOST DEFINTELY BE RUSSIAN!” Soldier rebuked Scout as if stating the obvious.

As Soldier was busy bellowing at Scout, Lisa had gingerly grabbed the syrup bottle and was reading the label quietly.  
“Ummm, Soldier?” Lisa spoke up timidly.

“QUIET SCOUT! SHE’S ABOUT TO CONFESS!” Soldier said turning to her excitedly before pounding the table with his fist. “WELL? OUT WITH IT!”

She quietly turned the bottle towards Soldier.  
“This syrup was made in Vermont.”

The room was dead silent after that. The only noise being Soldier’s loud breaths.

She held it out to him.  
“Vermont is the State’s biggest maple syrup producer. Not all maple syrup is from Canada.”

Soldier snatched it from her grip before reading the label quietly.  
“I see…” He mumbled after a while. “Well…your knowledge of American maple syrup has saved you from my wrath for now, rookie. BUT I WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR SECRETS SOON ENOUGH!”

With that statement, he sat at his chair and took a large bite of his pancakes of abomination.

Lisa attempted to throw a reassuring smile at him, but it was difficult when he was eating his revolting pancake concoction. She took a bite of hers and was pleasantly surprised at how soft and fluffy they were.

“Well, anyways, now that that’s over…” Scout stated before downing some orange juice. “Let’s play a game!”

Lisa glanced at him from over her meal incredulously.  
“A game…now?”

“Yeah! Like twenty questions. I’ll ask you two questions and you ‘ave to pick one and answer it honestly.” He proposed.

“Ummm…ok. Is anyone else going to play?” She asked taking another bite of pancake.

“Nah. They don’t ‘ave to. I’ll just ask you questions.” He replied finishing off his final pancake.

“Do I get to ask you questions?” Lisa probed her face scrunched in confusion.

“Oh…uh. Sure. If ya want.” He acquiesced with a shrug. 

“If not…then it’s not really a game…it’s just you asking me questions.” Lisa pointed out as she poured some orange juice from the pitcher into her glass.

“Ha ha! Good point!” Scout laughed his voice tinged in nervousness.

Lisa sighed as she took a sip of orange juice. She was way too tired to deal with whatever the team was on today.

“Ok. I’ll go first.” Scout started before glancing at his hand. “Question 1, what’s your favorite animal. Or question 2, what are your parent’s names?”

Lisa nearly spit out her drink in shock. She managed not to, but she choked at the abruptness of the question. Scout patted her on the back and said,  
“Oh, crap! Are you ok? You chokin’?” 

“No. I’m fine…just…what did you ask me?”

“Uh…what’s your favorite animal or what are your parents’ names?”

She blinked at him a couple times before answering,  
“I like the platypus. It’s like if you combined a duck with a beaver.”

Scout’s face turned to confusion before he said,  
“Oh right. Yeah. Ok.”

“My turn?” Lisa asked feeling unsettled with the conversation.

“Yeah. Go for it.” Scout answered looking at his hand again.

“What’s your favorite weapon? Or, your favorite baseball player?” She asked trying to brush away her nerves at how invasive his previous question had been.

“Ah man. You’re openin’ wit’ that? Jeez.” He muttered tapping the table in thought. “Ummm…hmm…I gotta say I really like my bat. Nothin’ like gettin’ up close and personal and takin’ someone way bigger than ya out in a swing.”

Lisa nodded as she finished her breakfast.

“Alrigh’. My turn.” Scout replied looking at his hand. “Question 1, what’s your favorite color? Or Question 2, what’s your social security number?”

Lisa stared at him as she stopped chewing.  
“Are…are you serious right now?”

Scout lost his confidence and the color in his face.  
“Whad’ya mean?”

“I mean, you need better questions. I’m obviously not going to answer super personal questions when you pair them with easy ones like favorite color or animal.” She retorted standing with her plate and setting it in the sink.

“Ok then. Question 1, what are your parents’ names or Question 2, what’s your social security number?” He amended.

Lisa stared at him for a second not believing what she was hearing. She let out an exasperated sigh as her tired, eyes flickered in annoyance.   
“I’m way too tired for this. I’m going back to bed.” She stated as she left the room.

Scout winced as the swinging doors swung hard behind her and Demo let out a chuckle from where he sat turning his gaze away from the newspaper.  
“Real subtle, Scout. Yer intentions weren’t obvious at all.”

“’ey, pal! I’m tryin’! I’d like to see you do bette’!” Scout retorted his chest puffing up in indignation.

Scout showed his bandaged hand to the group and they could make out pictures of what looked to be different question topics.  
“See?! I even drew pictures on my hand so I could remember the important stuff.”

“Bet I’ll find out more than you by this comin’ Friday.” Demo challenged setting the paper down to meet Scout’s gaze.

“Oh yeah?” Scout replied rising to the challenge.

“Yeah. Maybe yer not as “bonded” as ye thought.” Demo giving a self-assured half grin at Scout’s easy irritability.

Scout went to reply when Spy’s voice cut in.  
“Scout. That was horrible.”

“What?!” Scout spluttered. “And NONE of us are gonna talk about Soldier’s performance?!”

“WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY PERFORMANCE MAGGOT?!” Soldier cried indignantly from where he had just finished his meal. “MY PANCAKE NATIONALITY TEST NEVER LIES! I KNOW A CANADIAN WHEN I SEE ONE!”

Spy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before saying,  
“Subtlety is key. Get close to her. Be friendly. Don’t go obviously digging for answers. What were you two doing when she shared about her home life?”

“We were sitting on the steps lookin’ at the desert. We were just talkin’.” Scout shrugged as he turned to Spy.

“Then do that. Apologize for your behavior during breakfast today and just…be yourself.” Spy said before grimacing. “Just not…too much like yourself. Make her comfortable.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I got it. No more twenty questions.” Scout replied as he left the room.

Demo glanced at Spy and said,  
“We’d bette’ get to the bottom of this e‘fore he blows it.”

Spy sighed as he lit a cigarette and set it in his mouth before quietly muttering,  
“I agree.” 

Lisa was annoyed to say the least. After a short nap, she had tried to go about her day at the base, but Scout was near constant shadow. He brushed over his actions at breakfast and said he’d try to make it up to her at Scout training. Currently, there was no Scout training going on…just more poorly disguised questions about her life.  
She sighed in annoyance from where she lay on the hard ground and tossed the baseball in the air before catching it.  
“Scout, I already told you earlier. I don’t know exactly what I can and can’t tell you. I have to ask Miss Pauling for a copy of my contract, so I don’t break any rules.”

“But breakin’ rules is fun! Come on!” Scout implored flopping onto the ground next to her. “At least give me somethin’.”

“Why’re you so obsessed with my life all of a sudden?” She asked rolling the ball to him and sitting up.

“I’m not obsessed.” He retorted picking up the ball and rolling it around in his hands.

“Right…did Soldier put you up to this? Or Spy?” Lisa guessed brushing dirt off her pants.

“WHAT?! NO!” Scout responded quickly, his eyes widening. “What makes ya think that?!”

“Because earlier you respected my privacy and I respected yours. When I said something regarding your family yesterday that you weren’t ready to share, I didn’t pry anymore. I’m asking you to please do the same. Especially since I don’t remember the terms of the contract I signed.” Lisa recalled shielding her eyes from the sun to gaze at a few whisps of clouds overhead.

Realization washed over Scout’s face and his shoulders fell as he sighed,  
“When ya put it dat way…sorry, Backup. I won’t pry anymore.”

“I want a copy of my contract to keep for myself. You said Miss Pauling doesn’t stop by often?” Lisa asked.

He sighed dejectedly and grumbled,  
“Yeah. She stops by once every two months or so. Usually, quick visits to check up on da base…make sure everyone is performing well. She makes sure that we have enough supplies. She’s here for a few hours and then leaves.”

“When do you think her next visit will be?” Lisa questioned, a sad look washing over her face. “You said you get to contact your mom and…I wasn’t told if I could contact my family or not. I…I really miss them, Scout.”

Scout stopped fiddling with the baseball to look at her and his expression quickly became panicked.  
“I’m sure Miss Pauling will work somethin’ out wit’ ya. Jus’…don’t cry. I dunno what to do when girls cry.”

Lisa gave a soft laugh at his expression and reassured him,  
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to cry. I just…miss them a lot, you know?”

Scout sighed and sat up hugging his knees.  
“Yeah. I get it. Miss Pauling comes more frequently to check on newbies progress, so I’d give it a couple of weeks before she gives you a progress report.” 

Lisa nodded taking in the information before standing up and brushing off the seat of her pants.  
“Well, since we aren’t really doing Scout training today. I think I’m going to go find somewhere quiet to read.”

“Reading? Dat’s boring.” Scout scoffed.

“I enjoy it.” Lisa shrugged. “It’s a way to escape the world you’re in and go somewhere else.”

“I can understand with comic books where you can see the pictures…but not borin’ ol’ reading books.” Scout answered his nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Suit yourself.” Lisa replied turning to head inside before asking him, “I know you don’t enjoy reading but is there anywhere here with books?”

“Good luck with dat.” Scout snorted. “We’re mercenaries. Does it look like any of us read much?”

Lisa stifled her disappointment and headed back towards the base. As she walked through the base to her room, she could her raucous laughter coming from the meeting/game room. Sounded like Demo and Soldier were playing cards again. Lisa entered her room which was one of many supply closets lined up in a row the most upper floor. The hallway was lined with windows, so it wasn’t dark and depressing at least.  
Lisa smiled upon entering her room. It was finally beginning to look like a bedroom. The cobwebs and dust bunnies had been swept away and the rows of boxes of moldy bread had been carried out to the dumpster behind the building to be dealt with. The sun shown through the single window at the end of the room, giving it just enough light to keep it from being gloomy. The only thing Lisa could do without was the single flickering lightbulb on the ceiling as her light source when it got dark. She could live with it though. She was just thankful to have soft pillows and heavier blankets again. Lisa pulled her well loved book ‘Stuart Little’ from under her mattress and left the room to find somewhere with a better light source.  
After thinking for a bit…the only places with decent light sources were the kitchen…the game room…and outside…  
Seeing as the kitchen wasn’t the cleanest place to read and the game room was occupied…Lisa went to head outside. She wandered to the steps and glanced at the wall to see metal rungs running upwards towards the roof. Curious, Lisa tucked the book under her arm and climbed onto the roof. A smile spread over her face as she saw the view. The golden desert valley lay stretched out before her and the sun was still high in the sky but slowly making its way to descend over the horizon.  
Lisa walked forward to find a better spot to sit and read and take in the amazing view when a voice interrupted her thoughts with a growl,  
“Whadd’ya doin’ up ‘ere, sheila?”

Lisa jumped and nearly lost her footing on the shingles of the roof before regaining it and looking to her left. Sniper sat with one leg sprawled in front of him and the other knee bent. His hat was tilted over his forehead. One arm lay resting over his bent knee and the other hand rested on the roof beside him.

“S-sorry. Didn’t know this spot was taken.” Lisa stammered.

“Didn’t answer m’ question.” Sniper replied darkly gazing at her. 

“I-I just came up here to read.” She replied quickly showing him her book.

He was quiet as he observed her and looked at the book held in front of her like a shield and back to her fearful face.  
“I’ll go find somewhere else to read. J-just don’t kill me or push me off the roof.” 

He seemed amused by her assumption that he would kill her for staying and gave a quick jerk of his head back the way she came.  
“Then get.”

She hurried away quickly and scrambled down the metal rungs as quickly as she could without falling. She began to speed walk back to her room keeping her head down.

“Terrible light source or no…I am staying in my room to read from now on. Better to develop terrible vision than to be killed by a territorial Australian on the roof-“ Her soft grumblings were interrupted as she collided with a large object.

She bumped off of the object and looked up to see Heavy looking at her with an impassive expression. She paled. She had not had much interaction with the large man but the few she had experienced had been terrifying. Just her luck to run into Sniper and him back-to-back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” She apologized.

“Is alright. Heavy is far too large for you to hurt.” He replied sounding unbothered.

“Thanks. I wasn’t really looking where I was going.” She explained to him her cheeks turning a soft pink in embarrassment.

Heavy glanced at the book in her hand and back to her,  
“Is going somewhere in a hurry?”  
“I mean-I was just going to go back to my room. I’m looking for a place to read and the roof was taken. I didn’t want to bother anyone else, so I was trying to get back there as soon as possible.”

“Who have you been bothering by wanting to read book?” Heavy asked with a tilt of his head.

“Ummm…I suppose just Sniper. My room doesn’t have very good lighting so I was going to read on the roof, but he was already there.”   
Heavy gave a soft hmm of acknowledgment.

“Sniper enjoys being alone. Alone is safe.” He turned his gaze to appraise her. “Leetle mouse enjoys reading?”

Lisa clutched her book tighter to her chest fearing Heavy’s reaction.  
“Yes. I do like reading. This is the only book I have to read.”

“What is book name?” Heavy questioned glancing down at it.

“Ummm…Stuart Little. It’s a children’s book but it was a favorite of mine growing up.” Lisa supplied showing him the cover.  
Heavy’s lips twitched in amusement.

“Leetle mouse enjoys reading story about leetle mouse?”

Lisa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she laughed,  
“Yeah…I suppose so.”

“Would like more books to read?” Heavy asked contemplatively his gaze searching her face.

“I would, yes!” Lisa replied eagerly before her face fell. “Scout said there isn’t anywhere with many books here. He said most of the mercenaries here don’t like to read.”  
Heavy chuffed and Lisa looked back to him.

“Scout does not read. Heavy does. Come.”

With that, Heavy turned and began to head down to the lower levels. On the second floor was a series of doors. From one door, Lisa could hear an old familiar French song from a record and Lisa’s heart clenched as she remembered sitting on the stairs as a child watching her Grandparents slow waltz to their record player in the living room. Her grandfather tried to speak French, but his pronunciation and accent were terrible. Her grandmother started teaching her French early on as their own secret language so they could say things without Grampy understanding. It became a fun game between the three of them and became the catalyst between many inside jokes in her family. Between school and her grandmother insisting she learn and making it fun, she became very proficient in both English and French. The soft tune of the song faded as they continued down the hallway.  
“This is where most mercenaries have room. Sniper sleep in campervan. Engie and Medic have rooms on lower level by workshop and clinic. Pyro have room by Engie as well.” Heavy informed her as they continued to the one furthest down the hall. Heavy procured a key from his pocket and gingerly twisted it in the lock. Lisa’s jaw dropped as they both walked into a cozy reading room. There was a fireplace and large, beautiful bookshelves were built into the wall all around. A bear skin rug lay by the fireplace and two red velvet chairs sat next to the fireplace. On one sat Heavy’s minigun, Sasha. 

“Cannot read Russian, da?” Heavy asked as he began to peruse his books.

Lisa nodded as she looked around. So many books. The shelves looked to be made of oak and glistened as they had been well taken care of. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling and Lisa smiled taking it all in.

“Leetle mouse enjoys reading room?” Heavy chuckled looking at her as he drew a couple of books from the shelf.

“Yes! It’s amazing! It’s like your own private library.” Lisa replied enthusiastically with a bright smile.

“Heavy is glad you like it. Not many here who enjoy reading like Heavy.” He told her as he read the titles of the books in his hand. “Mouse enjoys fiction books, da?”

“Yes. I do prefer them. Nonfiction books are alright, but I enjoy escaping from life…nonfiction can hit too close to home sometimes.” She admitted turning her gaze to the warm flames dancing in the fireplace. 

“Heavy will give you good nonfiction to read sometime. Fiction is good but nonfiction have many good lessons.” He hummed putting the two books back and tracing his fingers over a few more covers.

Lisa observed him as he continued to search through his books.

Heavy finally decided on two books for his new friend.

“Heavy has chosen books. You will read, then we will discuss. Heavy wants to test Mouse’s critical thinking skills.”  
Lisa’s eyes widened at this.

“Is…is this Heavy training?”

Heavy smiled at her.  
“Da. This is Heavy training. Does not take much skill to shoot big gun and kill people. Takes much skill to understand war and people.” 

Heavy approached with two books.  
“First book is ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand. Is fiction…maybe not as happy as mouse book but is fiction.” Heavy told her as he handed her it and then read the second one’s title. “Second book…will wait for later.”

Lisa held the new book in her hand and observed it carefully.  
“How long do I have to read it?”

Heavy put the second book back and turned to her.  
“I give Mouse two week to finish book. Take notes. Then we will discuss. You may read here.”

Lisa perked at that.  
“Really? You’ll let me read in here?”

“As long as leetle mouse does not create mess or destroy books…yes. Mouse may read in Heavy’s reading room.” He permitted with a nod.

Lisa gave an excited laugh and quickly went to a vacant spot on the floor and opened the book beginning to read. Heavy chuckled and went to go sit in his armchair not too far away.

“If Mouse continues to enjoy books…Heavy will get chair for her.” He said putting on spectacles and opening a book lying on a small table between his and Sasha’s chair.  
Lisa’s heart sung with joy at her current state of being. Who would have thought Heavy was so kind…and an avid reader at that? The room was nice and warm from the fireplace and smelled of old books and ink pens. She sighed and opened her book to begin reading.  
‘Who is John Galt?’ was the first line as she began to read quietly with her new friend.

(BLU Base)  
“I’m sorry. RED recruited her far more secretly than any of the others. I don’t have any DNA to give you guys.” Miss Pauling apologized through the screen to the BLU team. “You’re going to have to obtain it yourselves if you want it in the next few months.”

“Miss Pauling. Not to disappoint you but the last time I went to obtain information from the RED base, their newly hired Medic kept my head in his fridge for three weeks.” The BLU Spy spat in annoyance.

“To counter that we sent a legion of Soldier clones to get him back. The Administrator then forbade the use of multiples of any mercenary at once.” The BLU Engineer stated in frustration. “It took two weeks for our Spy to die and go into respawn for us to get him back.” 

“And another four for you to arrive with their Medic’s DNA.” BLU Sniper accused.

“I’m not sure what to tell you guys. I was unable to trace their newest member and acquire any DNA as of yet.” Miss Pauling tried to placate. “Give me a month or two. I’ll find some way to get it. The Administrator herself has asked me to figure this out and quickly. I promise I’ll get it to you. It’s just going to take time.”

The team was noticeably unhappy with the news but didn’t say anything more.

“What’s her role? Can ye tell us that at least?” The BLU Demo asked his face stern.

“From what I have gathered, her codename is Backup. Her role is to fill in for whatever teammate is down in respawn.” Miss Pauling supplied.

The team growled in anger at this new information.

“They figured out that we have a faster respawn machine.” The BLU Engineer supplied with an angry shake of his head.  
“That’s what it seems like. I’ll call you guys back with any information I gather. See you soon, guys.” Miss Pauling said quickly before cutting the line.

The TV fizzled with static as the BLU team swallowed the new information.

“So RED is fundin’ an entirely new class of mercenary to counter it?” The BLU Scout asked before sitting back in his chair with crossed arms and scoffing. “Dat’s just cheap….or expensive…ya get what I mean.”

“She can fill in for anybody’s role? That makes her dangerous.” The BLU Engineer muttered.

“Non. She’s inexperienced at best.” Spy supplied with an amused snort. “Her fighting skills were abhorrent, she was easily incapacitated. Unless she learns quickly, she should not be a problem.”

“Let’s not underestimate her. Even if she lacks experience, she’s an extra person on the field that we don’t have.” The Engineer countered stroking his chin in thought. “She did blow up, Solly.”

“A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS THAT WILL NOT BE REPEATED!” BLU Soldier snapped incensed before sitting back in his chair. “I thought her grenade was a dud…how was I to know it would explode the second I got near it?”

“’cause that’s what grenades do. They explode.” BLU Demo-man snarked with a grin.

Soldier growled at him before Sniper interrupted.

“So, what’re we gonna do? They’ll be after our tech soon enough.”

“Well…I say we guard our equipment extra well.” Engineer offered. “The RED Spy has been more successful in his infiltration attempts than ours.” 

BLU Spy threw him a dirty look as Engie continued,  
“We should try to gather intel on the new girl. Whether that’s through matches or…”

“Infiltration, perhaps?” The BLU Spy offered bitterly.

“Well, if you’re offerin’. We all know how ya feel ‘bout it…and we won’t make ya go.” The BLU Engineer offered sympathetically, and the rest of the team nodded.

“Yeah, mate. Wouldn’t want ya to end up in a fridge again.” BLU Sniper added.

The BLU Spy shuddered almost imperceptibly before lighting a cigarette and taking a breath before saying,  
“I will do it, but we need a plan.”

They all nodded and began to discuss some ideas on infiltrating the base and gaining information on the new Backup.

Author’s note: Hey guys! Not as long a chapter as usual but very plot heavy. Thank you for your patience and let me know in the comments what you think! The plot is finally starting to pick up. Hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
